PART

III

THE PURANIC

DEITIES

THE GODS OF MODERN HINDUISM

I.

BRAHMA, THE SUPREME

SPIRIT,

AND THE HINDU TRIAD

77

II,

BRAHMA, THE CREATOR, AND SARASVATI, GODDESS OF

LEARNING
III.

85

VISHNU,

the

PRESERVER, AND LAKSHMI, GODDESS OF

,

FORTUNE
IV.

95

THE AVATARAS, OR INCARNATIONS OF VISHNU V. RAMA AND SITA, THE HINDU IDYLL
,

107 118

VI. KRISHNA, THE

VII.

HINDU APOLLO

130
143
151

BUDDHA, THE ENLIGHTENED ONE

VIII. JAGANNATH,

LORD OF THE WORLD

IX, KAMADEVA, THE HINDU CUPID

157
161
,
.

X. CHAITANYA, THE MENDICANT GOD

XI. SIVA, THE DESTROYER, AND PANCHANANA
XII, DIVA'S CONSORT
XIII. SONS OF SIVA

.167 .179
190

75

CHAPTER

BRAHMA, THE SUPREME SPIRIT, AND THE HINDU TRIAD

"

There

is

Unmoved, yet moving

one only Being who exists swifter than the mind

Who

far outstrips the senses, though as gods They strive to reach him who himself at rest
;

Transcends the

fleetest flight of other beings

Who,

like the air, supports all vital action.

He, the All-pervading, Self-existent, Is brilliant, without body, sinewless,

Invulnerable, pure, By taint of sin.

and undefiled

He He

moves, yet moves not, he is far yet near is within this universe. Whoe'er beholds
;

All living creatures as in

him and him

in
all,

The Universal Spiritas

Henceforth regards no creature with contempt."

Extract from an

Upamshad

(translated

by

Monier Williams).

I.

BRAHMA. THE SUPREME SPIRIT

after seeing

IF you were to accuse a well-educated Hindu of idolatry, him worship at a shrine, he would probably be " I worship very indignant and would reply with ha^teac
:

no

idol.

bow

before the great eternal Spirit,

who

is

the

source

and

spring of all things.

Idols are only symbols

and

aids to worship.

these are real gods, but

3

Ignorant village folk may imagine that we who are educated know that these

are mere representations of deity.

God

himself

is

eternal

and

invisible.'

Similarly a

Brahman was once asked

77

to give

an explana-

tion of the fact that even Indians of cultivated intellect

who

78

THE GODS OF INDIA

Europeans to be worshippers
Spirit,
:

assert the unity of God appear to ol many gods. His reply was

"All orthodox Hindus believe in one Universal

who becomes Supreme Lord over

all

the same time they believe that this various forms, all of which may be worshipped just as gold is one everywhere though it may take different forms and
;

(PARAMESVARA). At one God has taken

names

in different places

and

countries.

his favourite god, or divine object, to

Every man chooses which he pays especial

places have also their favourite Benares is specially watched over by a form of Siva Muttra by Krishna, &c. We may propitiate every one of these gods with ceremonies and sacrifices, but

homage.

Different

presiding deities.
;

the Supreme Being present in

'
:

them is the real object of all our offerings and religious services. At the end of each we say By this act may the Supreme Lord be gratified Hence, though to you we appear Polytheists, we are really
'
!

Monotheists.

term.

Nor are we Pantheists in your sense of the Only our deepest thinkers look beyond the personal God to the impersonal Spirit which underlies everything,

educated Brahmans are practically Theists." 1 The Supreme Spirit Brahm, or Brahma, must not be confounded with Brahma the Creator, and the first member of the Hindu Trinity. Brahma, the eternal Being, is described as Nirguna, or destitute of qualities, and the word is neuter gender from the root brih = "lo expand." It is the great soul of the Universe, self-existent, absolute, and 2 eternal, and is called Brahma because IT expanded Itself all and in is all nature, animate and inanimate, through space in the highest god as in the meanest creature. IT is pure essence, limitless being, incorporeal, invisible and all-per-

We

vading in
1 2

its

manifestations. 3

Monier Williams, Religious Thought and Life in India, p. 50. Strictly speaking Brahma should be rendered by "IT," since
"

it

is

neuter gender.
3

The Deity, they

tell us,

sea,

and the deep vault

of

wild beasts of every sort,

pervades all, earth and the expanse of heaven from Him, flocks, herds, men each creature at its birth draws the bright
;

BRAHMA, THE SUPREME SPIRIT

"

79

Hence

all

visible

forms on earth say the Brahmans,

,

are emanations from the one eternal Entity, like drops from an ocean, like sparks from fire. Stones, mountains, rivers,
plants, trees,

and animals

all

these are traceable upwards

as progressive steps in the infinite evolution of

being.

Brahma's The highest earthly emanation is man, and the emanation of men is in classes, and is also traceable upwards

according to a graduated scale, the highest class being that of the Brahmans/' 1

Of Supreme Soul receives no direct worship. " Him, whose glory is so great there is no image (Veda) Throughout the length and breadth of the land no temple is reared to IT'S honour. Yet Brahma is the object of intense though abstract devotion. Every devout Hindu through a 2 painful cycle of deaths and rebirths hopes eventually to gain
This
thread of life further, to Him all things return, are restored and reduced death has no place among them. But they fly up alive into the ranks of the stars and take their seats aloft in the sky." Virgil, Georgics, iv. 221 (John Comngton's translation).
;

"

How wonderfully the true import of Virgil's lines our English poet "
:

is

taken up by

have

felt

presence that disturbs me with the joy Of elevated thoughts a sense sublime
,

Of something far more deeply Interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean, and the living air,
the blue sky, and in the mind of man spirit, that impels All thinking things, all objects of aH Thought,

And

motion and a
rolls

And
1

through

all things.

1 '

Williams, Religious Thought and Life in India, p. 43. To the Hindu the soul is like a solitary pilgrim Transmigration tarrying in the caravanserai of the body, and, because it is bound in the chains of deeds and eating the fruits of past actions, it promotes
2

Momer

or degrades itself along well-nigh infinite series of embodiments. The range of possible soul-migration is 8,400,000, and stretches downward from gods and saints through Brahmans, nymphs, kings, counsellors,
to actors, drunkards, birds, dancers, cheats, elephants, horses, {udras, barbarians, wild beasts, snakes, worms, insects, and inert things. The doctrine of Retribution (Karma) is seen in the laws of Manu

80

THE GODS OF INDIA

absorption into the Universal Spirit.

To this end he practises He longs to be austerities. countless and self-abnegation from existence free from passion, from birth, from pain, yea, This is a fundamental doctrine of Brahmanism, the itself. and an underlying motif of religion of the post-Vedic days, Hinduism to-day. To sum up. There is One Eternal Spirit, Brahma, and emanations of this Spirit dwelling in created things: men,
animals, birds, insects, &c., in decreasing intensity as reach the lower forms of creation. In the higher forms,

we
i.e.

human, these spirit-emanations partake

pains incident
to

of the passions

and

residence in matter.

They

are purified

from this stain by austerities and numerous transmigrations

and at length reobtain absorption into the divine nature, and in such reunion gain their final beatitude. The dogma which expresses the doctrine of the Universal
eva advitryam There is but one which means that nothing really exists Being, no second except the One Universal Spirit. It is addressed by the mysterious syllable OM (A.U.M.) which is found at the beSpirit is this

"

Ekam
"

"

"

ginning of prayers and religious exercises, and is so sacred that none should hear it pronounced. " Naturally the question springs up Why with this high
:

Brahma, have we the idolatry and polytheism of modem Hinduism ? " The answer can be given from the Hindu Scriptures themselves. First from the Atharva-Veda
doctrine of one Eternal Spirit,
:

plishes

In whatsoever disposition of mind a man accomxii.) such and such an act he shall reap the fruit in a body endowed with such and such a quality." It is the necessary counterpart of
(xi
:

and

"

Transmigration. The punishments are weighed out with a startling appropriateness of penalty. The stealer of food becomes dyspeptic, the scandalmonger has foul breath in a future existence. The murderer

Brahman passes into a wild beast or a pariah, the cruel become bloodthirsty beasts, stealers of grain and meat turn into rats and vultures, the thief who took dyed garments, kitchen herbs, or
of a

perfumes

shall

become accordingly a red

ii.

partridge, a peacock, or a musk-rat,

Tylor's Prim. Culture,

p. 10.

BRAHMA, THE SUPREME SPIRIT

81

"All gods are in Brahma as cows In a cow-house. In the beginning Brahma was this (universe). He created gods. Having created

Vayu

gods, he placed them in these worlds, viz. Agni in this world, Indrathe atmosphere, and Surya (Mitra) in the sky (A.U.M.).

These gods were originally mortal * they became immortal."

but when pervaded by

Brahma

Then
"

in the

Vishnu Purana the subject

is

further elaborated

There are two states of this Brahma one with and the other without shape one perishable, one imperishable. These are inherent
;

The imperishable is the in all beings. able is in all the world. The blaze of fire
light

Supreme Being,

the perish-

and heat around

so the world

is

burning in one spot diffuses nothing more than the mani-

fested energy of the Supreme Brahma ; and inasmuch as light and heat are stronger or feebler as we are near the fire or far off from it,

that are

so the energy of the Supreme is more or less intense in the beings more or less remote from it. Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu are the most powerful energies of God; next to them are the inferior

then man, then animals, birds, and vegetables each becoming more and more feeble as 2 they are farther removed from their primitive source."
deities; then the attendant spirits;
insects,
;

Supreme proved unsatisfactory to the common people, The Aryans soon began to worship local deities found amongst the people they conquered, and these deities began to influence Rather than lose their hold of the people the their lives. priests adopted these new deities and found a parentage for them from amongst the old Vedic gods. So by easily disSpirit
is,

High and
it

lofty as the doctrine of the unity of the

cerned stages the present developments of Hindu mythology were reached. The rage for personification appears to have been unbounded. There are said to be at present 330,000,000

gods and godlings among the Hindus, while the population

of

Monier Williams truly says 315,000,000, object in heaven or earth which a Hindu
worship
sun,
trees, shrubs,

India in the recent census was slightly smaller, being " There is not an is not prepared to
:

moon, and and grass

; ;

stars

rocks, stocks,

and
;

stones
his

sea, pools,

and
2

rivers

own

implements of trade
3

the animals he finds most useful, the

Wilkins, p. 95-

Muir, O.S.T., pp. 3-7.

82
noxious reptiles he

GODS OF INDIA
fears,

men remarkable

for

any extra-

ordinary qualitiesfor great valour, sanctity, virtue, or even vice ; good and evil demons, ghosts, and goblins, the spirits

an infinite number of semi-human and semi-divine existences, inhabitants of the seven upper and the seven lower worlds each and all come in for a share of divine honours or a tribute of more or less
of departed ancestors
;

adoration,"

II.
f '

THE HINDU TRIAD

Lord oi the triple qualities, the cause Of man's existence, bondage, and release "
Upanishad.

The Trimurti, i.e. triple form," denotes the great Hindu Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu, the august representatives of the creative, destructive, and preservative energies or principles. Brahma is the embodiment of the Rajo-guna the quality of passion, or desire, by which the world was called into being &va is the embodied Tamo-guna, the attribute of darkness, or wrath, and the destructive fire by which the world is consumed and Vishntt is the embodied Sattva-guna, or property of mercy and goodness, by which the world is preserved. To put the same truth in another way we find that dominated by activity the Supreme Being is Brahma, by goodness he is Vishnu, and by darkness &va. These three are the supreme deities of the Puranas and of
Trinity
;

Cl

Hinduism. According to the theory of Brahmanism, from the Supreme Spirit, Brahma, when overspread by Maya, or the illusory creative force, proceeded the primeval male god, Brahma, who in turn created the three worlds and all living things.

modem

But the act of creation necessarily involves the other two acts of preservation and dissolution. Hence the association with Brahma of Vishnu, the Preserver, and Rudra-^iva, the Dissolver and Reproducer. These three gods, concerned
In the threefold operation of integration,

maintenance, and

THE HINDU TRIAD

dissolution,

83

form the primary group of deities around which the entire system of modern Hinduism, with Its diversified and countless ramifications of deity, grows. These are typified by the three letters composing the
mystic and profoundly significant syllable OM (or A.U.M.), to which reference has already been made. This syllable, said also to typify the three Vedas, has been handed down from Vedic times when there were three principal objects in

and Sun, or Fire and three worlds, and three forms of matter, Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous and the three Vedic gods, Fire, Wind, and Sun 1 Agni, Indra-Vayu, and Surya.
nature, Earth, Water,
;

Earth, Air, and

;

Sky

One great authority 2 confirms the opinion often expressed that the Trimurti, the triple divinity of the Hindus, was originally no more than a personification of the Sun in his
triple capacity of

producing forms by his genial heat, prehis serving light, and destroying them by the concentrated force of his igneous matter. At night, therefore,

them by

when setting in the West the Sun is Vishnu, the preserver, Brahma when rising in the morning, and Siva at noon. The true theory of Brahmanism teaches that no one of
the three persons in the Triad ought to take precedence over the other two they should each be equal, so that each may
represent the

The

Supreme Lord and take the place of the other. greatest of Indian poets, Kali-dasa, sings
:

"

In those Three Persons the one

God was shown

;

Each first in place, each last not one alone Of Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, each may be First, second, third, among the blessed Three."
This co-equality, however, was soon overthrown and is not found in later mythology. Brahma, the act of creation having ceased, becomes less and less worshipped, while the other two rise greatly in honour and importance, The story told in the chapter on Vishnu well illustrates this.
1

Monier Williams, Religious Thought and Life in India, Moor, Hindu Pantheon, pp. 278-9.

p. 45.

84
"

THE GODS OF INDIA

These three gods
differ

from and are superior to

all

the

organisms in that they are not of to the law They are beings transmigration. subject who have obtained the highest condition possible, short of
other divine and

human

absorption into Brahma.

"

The

difference between the

Hindu and Christian idea

Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva have only derived or secondary existences, and the Supreme Being may be worshipped through the worship of these three,
of the Trinity lies in this fact.

or of

any one

to the others.

of the three, supposed for the time to be superior It is even possible for the members of this

trinity themselves to worship the One Spirit through the worship of the other, each being in turn regarded as inferior. " Then, in the next place, homage may be paid to the Universal Spirit by and through the worship of the inferior

gods, goddesses, departed ancestors, living Brahmans, heroes,

animals,
of

is very great between the pure doctrine Christianity of three persons eternally existing in One

and plants." Thus the contrast

God and a
1

derived and subordinated Trinity which quickly

degenerates into Polytheism.

See Monier Williams, Religious Thought and Life in India, pp. 46
50.

and

CHAPTER

II

BRAHMA, THE CREATOR, AND SARASVATl, GODDESS OF LEARNING

I.

BRAHMA, THE CREATOR

!

"

Hail, primal blossom

Empyreal gem Say what four-formed godhead came,

graceful stolejind

With

beamy diadem,
?

Forth from thy verdant stem

Full-gifted

Brahma."
Sir

WM.

JONES, Ode

to the

Lotus,

BRAHMA is
fied

the

first of

the three great Hindu gods, the personi-

emanations of the Supreme Spirit, Brahma. He is called the Creator, the framer of the Universe. Like Jupiter he is " the father of gods and men," and in the Vedas his style

and

"

title is

Prajapati,

Lord

of Creatures."

From him

all

created things" proceeded, as in

him

all

things pre-existed.

As the oak
"
it,

exists in the acorn, or, as the

is

Hindu would express

the fruit

in the seed," so all material forms existed in

Brahma

awaiting development and expansion.

"

Grain with grain, successive harvests dwell And boundless forests slumber in a shell."

DARWIN.

The following remarkable passage from the Rig- Veda

(x. 129, 1-6),

describes the creation of the Universe

entity
(all) ?

"There was then (in the beginning) neither nonentity nor there was no atmosphere, nor sky above. What enveloped
;

Wherej

in the receptacle of
?

what (was

it

contained)

Was

it

water, the profound abyss

Death was not

there, nor immortality

there was no distinction of day or night,

self-supported
;

That One breathed calmly, there was nothing different from, or abovef it. In

86

THE GODS OF INDIA

the beginning darkness existed, enveloped in darkness. All this was undistinguishable water, That One which lay void, and wrapped in

nothingness, was developed by the power of fervour, Desire first arose in IT, which was the primal germ of the mind \ (and which) sages, searching with their intellect, have discovered in their heart to

be the bond which connects entity with nonentity. The ray (or cord) which stretched across these (worlds), was it below or was it above ? Theie were there impregnating powers and mighty forces, a selfsupporting principle beneath and eneigy above. Who knows, who here can declare, whence has sprung this creation ? "

The explanation which Max

able account of creation
is

Mtiller gives
ff
:

of this

remarkin the

this

The One which

beginning breathed calmly, self-sustained, is developed by the power of its inherent heat (Professor Roth understands the word to mean 'by rigorous and intense abstraction').

This development gave occasion to desire (Kama) which immediately took possession of the One, and is the first germ of mind, the earliest link between nonentity and entity."

The Vedic poet goes on

mighty

forces, of receptive capacities

to speak of impregnating powers and and active energies, but declare

confesses himself unable to

how

the universe was

produced.

There are so
writings that
it is

many

accounts of the Creation in

Hindu

quite impossible to reconcile or harmonibc them. The sage, Mann, gives the following, which shows the tangle of ideas in which Hinduism lives " This universe was enveloped in darkness, unperceived, undistinguishable, undiscoverable, unknowable, as it were entirely sunk in
:

sleep. ^ Then the inesistible, self-existent Lord, undiscemed, this universe with the five elements and all other to

causing

things

become

He who is dispelling the gloom. the senses, subtle, undiscernible, and eternal, who is the essence of all beings, and inconceivable, himself shone forth. He, desiring, seeking to produce various creatures from first created the waters, and deposited in them a seed his^own body,
discernible,

was manifested,
of

beyond the cognisance

This (seed) became a golden egg, resplendent as the sun, in which he himself was born as Brahma, the progenitor of all the world. That lord having continued a year in the egg, divided it into two
. .
.

See Anc. Sanskrit

Lit., p.

561.

CREATOR

87

With these two shells, he foimed the paits by his mere thought. heavens and the earth, and in the middle he placed the sky, the eight 1 regions, and the eternal abode of the waters."

The Vishnu Purana

womb, mountains, and
"
Its

describes the wonderful egg thus

the

mountain Meru, was composed of the mighty oceans were the waters which filled its In that egg were the continents, seas 5 and mountains the cavity. the gods, the demons, and Planets, and divisions of the universe mankind. This egg, after the Creator had inhabited for a thousand years (one divine year), burst open, and Brahma, issuing forth by 2 meditation, commenced the work of creation."
vast

as

'

In the Mahabharata and some other Puranas, Brahma is have issued, not from an egg, but from the lotus that sprang from the navel of Vishnu. Still another account is given in the Ramayana (u. noVasishtha says 12) of the creation of the world. " Lord of the world, understand from me this (account of) the origin of the worlds. All was water only in which the earth was formed. Thence arose Brahma, the self-existent, with the deities. He then, becoming a boar, raised up the earth (on his mighty tusks) and created the whole world with
said to
:

the saints (Rishis) his sons." Ward gives a more detailed account of the order of " Brahma first produced the waters, then the Creation from his own mind he caused a number of Brahman next earth,
:

sages (the Divine Rishis, see p. 300) and four females to be born. Then from his arms sprung the warriors (Kshatriya), and from his thighs the merchants and traders (Vaisya caste),

way

while from his feet sprang the Sudras, or menials. In this the whole social order of Hinduism arose and the caste
its infinite variety of sub-castes had its origin. said that the sun sprung from Brahma's eye, the

system with
Also,
it is

moon from his mind, and he called into being all the different forms of animal and vegetable life, as they are now seen, by
germs produced from his body."
1 2

Muir, O.S.T., vol.

iv. p. 31.

Wilkms, Hindu Mythology,

p. 100.

88

THE GODS OF INDIA

"Brahma is represented pictures as a red man four heads, though in the Puranas, it is said, he originally had five. He is dressed in white garments and rides upon a In one hand he carries a staff, and in the other a dish goose. for receiving alms." 1 The following legend is given to explain the origin of Brahma's five faces. According to the Matsya Purana " form and one half of his
with
:

Brahma assumed a mortal

body

springing forth, without

ever,

its suffering

any diminution what;

he framed out of it the beauteous Satarupa. She was but as so lovely that he became fascinated by her charms she was born from his body Brahma considered her to be his
daughter and was ashamed of his emotion. During this conflict between desire and shame he remained motionless
situation

with his eyes fixed upon her. Satarupa, understanding the and anxious to avoid his looks, stepped aside.
still

Brahma, unable to move, but

desirous to see her, caused

a face to spring out in the direction to which she moved. She shifted her place four times and as many faces, corresponding to the four corners of the world, grew out of his
head,
"
2

The

four Vedas are said to have issued one out of

each mouth.

The loss of the fifth head is described in One day Brahma was asked by the Sages the presence of Vishnu who was greatest, Vishnu. Brahma declared that he was arose between Brahma and Vishnu. pute
;

the Mahabharata

(Divine Rishis) in Brahma, Siva, or

whereupon a

dis-

At length they

agreed to refer the matter to the authority of the Vedas. this honour belonged to " How can the lord of goblins, the dehghter in graveyards, the naked devotee covered with ashes, haggard in appearance, wearing twisted locks ornamented by snakes, be supreme ? " Even as they said this &va sprang into their midst in human form, vast and

The sacred books declared that Siva. The other two protested

terrible.

On

seeing
1

him the fifth head

of

Brahma glowed with

Wilkms, Hindu Mythology, p. 100. Moor, Hindu Pantheon, p. 704.

THE CREATOR
anger,
for

89

" At refuge of my feet, and I will protect thee, my son these proud words Siva was incensed, and from his anger sprang a most terrible form (Bhairava) who instantly cut

I know thee weU, O Chandra Sekhara, my forehead didst thou spring, and because thou didst weep I called thee Rudra. Hasten then to seek the

and baid

"

from

off

the head of

Brahma with
this for the
off

the

thumb

of his left
!

What
left

a scene

is

wonder

of the world
nail

hand l The great

!

Creator's

head cut
!

by the thumb

of Bhairava's

hand

Brahma, notwithstanding his venerable appearance, his majestic task, and his lordly name, has an unenviable moral record. He, the Creator of the three worlds, committed
incest with his

punished by
stricted.

own daughter, and for this horrible crime was the rest of the gods by having his worship refind

We

the Skanda Purana

of falsehood is

drunkenn^S-aJ^oJ^dilai^^harge, and in 2 is an indelicate legend in which the charge proved against him, and this fact also is given
almost ceased
:

as a reason
"

why his worship has

Since thou hast childishly and with weak understanding asserted a falsehood, let no one henceforth perform worship to thee."

Only To-day he is scarcely worshipped at all in India. two temples exist, one at Lake Pushkara in Raj put ana, and It is true that the other near Idar, close to Mount Abu.
Brahmans, in" "spite of this prohibition, repeat in their morning and evening worship an incantation containing a description of Brahma, and at noon present to him sometimes a single flower and at other times offerings of clarified butter. But other gods with an equally evil record continue to be
worshipped.

The

true reason that

Brahma

receives scant

recognition nowadays is that his work was one single act of creation, and once accomplished, it has lost its interest for

the Hindu race.

Brahma's

life,
1
2

in

Hindu mythology,
Hindu Mythology,

is

said to consist of

Wilkins,

p. 102.

Kennedy, Hzndu Mythology,

p. 271.

90

THE GODS OF INDIA

own
years,

a hundred ot his
of

and a year

which (known as a
close of

Kalpaa

consists of days each period of time) Is equal to

by a night of equal duration. each Kalpa the universe is destroyed and has to be recreated after Brahma has rested through his prolonged
4,320,000 of our years, followed

At the

night.

II.

SARASVATI, GODDESS OF LEARNING

1 Vagdevi, for thy balmy

"

We thirst,

lore,

Drawn from that rubied cave Where meek-eyed pilgrims hail the triple wave." 2 Sir W. JONES, Hymn to Sarasvati.

Hindu goddesses are represented as the subordinate So Saras vati, whose husband was Brahma, the Creator, is renowned as the goddess of wisdom, possessing qualities of Invention and Imagination which may be fairly termed creative. She is called "the Mother of the Vedas," and is honoured as the inventor of the Devanagan character and of the Sanskrit language. She is the patroness of fine arts, especially of music and rhetoric, " and so is styled Vagdevi which means goddess of speech." Sarasvati means literally "the watery one." It is the ancient name of a stream in the Panjab on whose banks in
All

powers or energies of their husbands.

3 early times solemn sacrifices to the gods were performed The flow of its purifying waters was compared aptly enough

Vach, Brahmani, Savitri are all names for Sarasvati. This alludes to the celebrated place of pilgrimage near Allahabad where the Ganges, Jumna, and the mythical Sarasvati meet. 3 As a nver goddess Sarasvati was to the early Hindus what the
2

" 17-20, after mentioning Sarasvati, says May for they (the waters) who purify with butter, purify us with butter their goddesses bear away defilement I come out of them, pure and cleansed." And again " Ye, opulent waters, command nches ye possess excellent power and immortality ye are the mistresses of wealth and progeny ; may Sarasvati bestow this vitality on her worshipper." Rig-Veda, vi. 52-6.

Ganges

is

to their descendants

The Rig-Veda, x

SARASVATl,

OF LEARNING

91

to the roll oi eloquent speech, and the music and rhythm ot the repetition of sacred texts and prayers. Hence Sarasvati takes her place as the inspirer of speech, the patroness of
science

and

literature.

In later mythology Sarasvati became under different names

the spouse of
"

Brahma

A voice derived from Brahma entered Into the ears of them the celestial Sarasvati was then produced from the heavens." 1
"

all

This goddess

is

classes all over India,

regularly worshipped by the student and her image, mounted on her favourite

peacock, playing a musical instrument, while in her duplicate hands she clasps a book and holds out a flower to her husband, is found over the principal entrances and gateways of many

Hindu Schools and

brated on the
fifth

day

Her worship is specially celeColleges. of Magh (January) either before her

image, or before a pen, or an inkstand, or book, which articles are supposed to form a proper substitute for the goddess. The image, or its substitute, is placed on the table either to

the west or south of the house.

And

after the officiating

Brahman has read the formulas and presented the offerings each worshipper, whose name has been included, takes flowers in his hands, and repeating a prayer lor her favour, presents them to the goddess. After which follow the customary On the day following gifts to the Brahmans and feasting. no Hindu will take up a book or will write, although they carry on their ordinary secular business. They eat only once in the day and avoid fish." 2 The last watch of the night is peculiarly sacred to Sarasvati. In Mami's Institutes we read
:

" Let the housekeeper awake in the time sacred to Brahm! (feminine of Brahma) goddess of speech, reflect on virtue and virtuous employments, and on the whole meaning and very essence of the

Vedas."

(Ch.

iv., v.

92.)

Mahabhamta, Santiparva,

v.

68 n.

92

THE GODS OF INDIA

Brahma, in addition to the learned and beautiful Saras vati, An interhad a second wife in the milkmaid GayatrL is told in the kanda.Puraaa of their rivalry and
esting story

subsequent reconciliation.
(Parvati)
:

Siva addresses

his

wife

Devi

Devi, and I will tell yon how Sarasvati forsook and he in consequence, espoused Gayatri. The Vedas Brahma, have declared the great advantages which are derived from rain sacrifice, by which the gods are delighted and bestow Sarasvati, earth. this the For Brahma, upon purpose but when the gods, and the holy sages repaired to Pushkara all preparations were made, with all our rites and ceremonies for performing the sacrifices, Sarasvati, detained by some household affairs, was not m attendance. A priest accordbut she replied, I have not yet ingly went to call her
Listen,
. . .

"

completed my dress, nor arranged several affairs, Lakshmi, Ganga, Indrani, and the wives of other gods and holy sages have not yet arrived, how therefore can 1 enter the assembly
Sarasvati and addressed Brahma is engaged and will not come but without a wife what adThe god was vantage can be derived from these rites ? incensed at her conduct and commanded Indra Hasten, and in obedience to my order bring a wife from wherever Indra passed hastily out and saw a you can find one/ milkmaid, young, beautiful, and of a smiling countenance, carrying a jar of butter. He seized her and brought her in to the assembly, when Brahma spoke thus gods and holy sages, if it seem good unto you I will espouse this Gayatri/ Whereupon he was united to Gayatri, who was led into the bower of the bride and adorned with the costliest
alone "
'

The

'

priest returned,

'

'

ornaments.

"At
sacrifice.

this time Sarasvati,

accompanied by the wives of

gods, came to the place of Seeing the milkmaid seated in the bride's bower and the priests engaged in the performance of the sacrifice, ' she cried out Brahma, hast thou conceived the sinful

Vishnu, Rudra,

and the other

SARASVATI, GODDESS OF LEARNING

93

intention to reject me who am thy wedded wife ? Hast thou no sense of shame, that thus, influenced by love, thou com-

mittest so shameful an act

of

Thou

art called the great father

gods and holy sages, and yet thou hast publicly acted in such a manner as to excite the derision of the three worlds.

But how can

call

show

my
'

face

or deserted
' :

by

my

husband,

Brahma replied The priests inmyself a wife ? formed me that the time for the sacrifice was fast passing
away, and that were present
.

it
.

could not be performed unless

my
'

wife

and Indra having brought

fore this one act

<(

and Rudra gave her in marriage to me. and 1 will never again offend thee

Gayatri, Vishnu Forgive me there! '

hearing these words, Sarasvati exclaimed By the powers, which 1 have obtained by the performance of sacrifices, may Brahma never be worshipped in temple, or sacred
:

On

the year. And Indra, since thou place, except one day has brought this milkmaid to Brahma, thou shalt be bound in chains and confined in a strange country/ Addressing Since thou gavest her in marriage to Vishnu, she said
l :

Brahma thou shalt be born amongst men^and long shalt thou To the priests and wander the humble keeper of cattle
'
1

Brahmans: 'Henceforth shall ye perform sacrifices solely from covetousness shall from the desire of obtaining gifts
:

attend the holy places/ Having pronounced these curses Sarasvati left the assembly, but Vishnu and Lakshmi,

ye
at

Brahma's request, followed her and induced her to return,

while Gayatri modified the curses which had been pronounced, and promised all kinds of blessings, including final absorption
into him, to all worshippers of

Brahma.

"

When

wished him Sarasvatf s feet.

to

Sarasvati returned, Brahma asked her what she to do with Gayatrf, and Gayatri threw herself at

She raised her up and said

'
:

A wife ought

obey the wishes and orders of her husband for that wife who reproaches her husband and who is complaining and
;

to hell. quarrelsome shall most assuredly when she dies go ' So be it,' Therefore let us both be attached to Brahma/ said Gayatri, 'thy orders will I always obey, and esteem thy

94
friendship

THE GODS OF INDIA

precious as

my

life.

goddess

Deign to protect

me

'
!

"

Thy daughter am
1

I,

And

so the reconciliation

was complete, but the curses

fulfilled

pronounced by Sarasvati in her anger are wonderfully in the popular Hinduism of to-day.
1

Wilkins,

Hindu Mythology,

pp. 111-13.

CHAPTER

III

VISHNU, THE PRESERVER,

AND LAKSHMl,

GODDESS OF FORTUNE
I.

VISHNU, THE PRESERVER

{t

Narayan

Hail, self -existent, in celestial speech, from thy watery cradle nain'd."
Sir

W, JONES.

As

all Hindus may be grouped into three great classes, the Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu), the Saivas (followers of Siva), and the Isaktas (worshippers of the female counterpart
it will easily be seen how important a occupied by this god in the Hindu Pantheon, Vishnu, in his various Avataras (incarnations) is probably worshipped His followers also by more Hindus than any other deity.

or energy of the gods),

place
is

are mostly found amongst the sturdy warlike races of the

North, whereas those of

milder Southern peoples.
fined to parts of Bengal

&va

are mainly found amongst the

is

akti worship
Orissa,

practically con-

and

Vishnu

is

called the second person in the

inferiority to

Hindu

Triad,
will

This does not imply any

Brahma.

As

be

His special work is that of the preservation of the world as Brahma's is that " The Supreme Spirit," we read, 1 "in order of its creation,
seen later, Vishnu claims pre-eminence.
to create this world,

then, to preserve the world,

to destroy the world he

produced from his right side Brahma, from his left side Vjshnu and
;
3

produced from his middle, Siva/ " Of the three persons of the Hindu Triad Vishnu is the
is

most human, as he
1

also the

most humane

in his character,
p. 116.

Padma Purana,

see Wilkins,
95

Hindu Mythology,

96

THE GODS OF INDIA

he has become

So, therefore, attributes, and sympathies. the most popular. He has four arms, symbolical of the power he exerts in the deliverance of his worshippers (a

of expressing duplication of limbs is the Hindu method Portions or the whole of his divine nature additional power). have descended in earthly incarnations to deliver the earth and in times of They are believed to be

danger

emergency.

still

descending in good men and living teachers." The character of Vishnu is faithfully portrayed in the

caste

marks

of the Vaishnavas.

Their distinguishing

mark

is

a V-shaped sign on their foreheads with the point downwards. " This identifies Vishnu with Water/' as the property of water
to descend. Nor is the angle with the apex pointing upwards a less appropriate symbol for Siva. It is the symbol both of life-giving and of destructive force as typified in 11 In this connection it is worth noticing that the Fire." Vaishnavas frequently call Vishnu Narayan. The explanais

given in the Institutes of Manu (ch. i, v. 10), are called Nara, because they were the first production of Nara, or the Spirit of God ; and since they were " his first ayana," or place of motion, he is called Narayana,
tion of this
"
is

The waters

or

"

moving on the waters/

light is said to
fact,

Vishnu as
heat, with
is

Whether, in
air,

2 Light is also connected with be produced from water. Vishnu be connected with light, with it is

or with water,

evident that his function

that of a Divine Pervader (Sanskrit root, vt**to pervade), infusing his essence for special purposes into created things,
for example, into stones, such as ; into rivers, such as the Ganges ; into trees and plants, such as the Tulasl into animals such as a 3 fish, a tortoise, a boar, and lastly into men.

animate and inanimate

;

the black Shalagrama

is

The superiority of Vishnu over the two other great deities seen in two legends, the first of which is taken from the
1

Bhagavata Purana.
2
3

Monier Williams, Religious Thought and Life in India, p. 46. Moor's Hindu Pantheon, p. 74. Monier Williams, Religious Thought and Life in India, p. 346,

CiAYATRl,
goose, the

BRAHMA'S SECOND WIFK,

with
fiv(

bud

sacred to

BRAHMA

(The Cieatml, with

heads

open book and

scioll in her

hand*

:<

^/9V>'-V~
H \RI-HARA
,

YAMS AVA

PRIES!',

lowing

full

uHe

maiks
,

Be oimo fV15HSn,.
,

(bee p

VISHNU, THE PRESERVER

11

97

A dispute once arose amongst the holy sages when they were performing a sacrifice on the banks of the Sarasvati as to which of the three gods was greatest. They sent Blirigu son of Brahma to ascertain the point. He first went ^o the
heaven of Brahma, and, desirous of discovering the truth, entered his court without paying the usual honours. Brahma was incensed by this disrespect, and was about to destroy him when he recollected that Bhrigu was his son, and assuaged his anger. Bhrigu then proceeded to Kailasa, the abode of Siva, and Siva hastened to embrace him as brother, but he turned away from the proffered embrace. Enraged at his
conduct, the god seized his trident and prepared to kill Mm, but Parvat! fell at Siva's feet and pleaded for his life. He next went to Vishnu's heaven and kicked the god's breast as he lay in slumber. The lord, rising from his couch, bowed
respectfully to Bhrigu
!

and addressed him Welcome to Brahman Be seated and deign to excuse the fault thee, I have committed by not performing the duties requisite on the arrival of a guest, and the hurt which thy tender foot must have received He then rubbed the foot of Bhrigu with his own hands, and added To-day I am a highly Lord hast imprinted on my honoured vessel, since thou, breast the dust of thy sin- dispelling foot/ Bhrigu was so
:

'

'

'

overcome with this reply to his incivility that with tears in his eyes he hastened back to the sages, and they at once voted that Vishnu was the greatest of the gods because he was 1 exempt from impatience and passion." Also, it is related in the Skanda Purana that when the whole earth was covered with water, and Vishnu lay extended asleep on the bosom of Sesha, the thousand-headed serpent, a lotus arose from his navel and its ascending flower soon reached the surface of the flood, and that Brahma sprang from that flower. Brahma, looking round without seeing any creature on the boundless expanse, imagined himself to be the first born, and entitled to rank above all other beings ; he nevertheless resolved first to investigate the deep, and
1

Kennedy, Hindu Mythology, p. 240.

98

THE GODS OF INDIA

any being existed in it who could controvert claim to pre-eminence. He glided therefore down the stalk of the lotus, and, finding Vishnu asleep, asked loudly " I am the first bom/' answered Vishnu, and who he was ?
ascertain whether

Ms

when Brahma denied

them.
This lasted

this a spirited quarrel arose

between

till

&va
:

batants, saying wrathfuliy

born
shall

but

I will resign

my

compressed between the two " It is I who am truly the firstwho pretensions to either of you
;

the soles of

be able to reach and behold the summit of my head, or my feet/' Brahma instantly ascended but,

having fatigued himself to no purpose in the regions of immensity, yet loth to abandon his claim, lied and said he had seen the crown of Siva's head. For this double sin of
pride and falsehood &va ordained that no sacred rites or worship should be performed to Brahma. Vishnu afterwards

returned and acknowledged" that he had not been able to see the feet of Mahadeva (Siva), who then told him that he was
the
first

In this

way

born among the gods and should be raised above all. Vishnu's primogeniture and moral superiority

was established. 1 Vishnu is the only one of the three great gods worshipped under the same name by the Vedic Hindus and by modern Hinduism. In the Rig- Veda Vishnu is conceived as the sun in its three stages The Vedic rise, zenith, and setting. poets conceive him as striding through the heavens in three steps. This is Vishnu's great deed, and constitutes his peculiar glory. Concerning these steps it is said that two of them, " " " " the and setting are near the habitation of men. rising The third step none can attain not even the eagle in its He took these steps for the preservation and benefit flight. of mortals, so that the world might live in happiness under
;

them.
2

The

zenith, or middle station, is fitly called Vishnu's

place.

Moor, Hindu Pantheon, p. 18. Vishnu as the Sun God. " May the gods preserve us from the place from which Vishnu strode through the seven regions of the earth. Vishnu strode over this (universe) in three places he planted his
1

VISHNU leclmmg on the thouwnd-headed Sl^HA \\hile LAKSHMi shampoo-* his feet and BRAHMA rite Cieatoi,

'IHE

BIRTH OP LAKSHMI
(See
pi/

10W05

?pnn^ ou

lout flow

ihs na\fl

VISHNU, THE PRESERVER

The
is

99
deities

trait

which

differentiates

Vishnu from other

in the Avataras or Incarnations (properly speaking descents ") which he assumes. In his various forms (as Rama,

"

Krishna, &c.)
life

Vishnu pervades the thought, and

stirs

the

of millions of the

human

race.

The explanation given

for these

is that they took place in the carrying out supreme work in the preservation of the human race. Whenever any great calamity overtook the sons of men or the wickedness of the Asuras (demons) proved an insuperable obstacle to their progress and happiness, Vishnu,

Avatars

of Vishnu's

the preserver, laying aside his invisibility, came to earth in some form to rescue man, and when his special work was done,

returned again to the

skies.

Some of regarding these Incarnations, these are of an entirely cosmical character others, however, are probably based on historical events, the leading personage
Kennedy says
1
;

"

of

which was gradually endowed with divine

attributes,

till

he was regarded as an incarnation of the deity himself."

step.
(i e.

" Sages constantly behold that highest position of Vishnu the sun's zenith). Rig-Veda, i. pp 16-22. " I declare the valorous deeds of Vishnu, who measured the mundane regions, who established the upper world, striding thrice, the wide-stepping. Therefore is Vishnu celebrated for his prowess, terrible
. . .

like a wild beast, destructive, abiding in the

mountains (or clouds) he within whose three vast spaces all the worlds abide. Whose three stations, replenished with honey, imperishable, gladden us spontane;

who alone sustained the triple universe, the earth and the sky, ously and the firmament. May I attain to that beloved heaven of his, where men devoted to the gods rejoice for (them) there is a spring of honey in the highest abode of the wide-stepping Vishnu." Rig-Veda, i. 154. " Thou who, with thy body, growest beyond our measure, (men) do not attain to thy greatness we know both thy two regions of the earth thou, divine Vishnu, knowest the remotest (region). No one, O divine Vishnu, who is being born or who has been born, knows the furthest limit of thy greatness. Thou didst prop up the lofty and vast sky thou didst uphold the eastern pinnacle of the earth (cf, Isaiah Vishnu thou didst prop asunder these two ad. 22, xlv. 12, 1 8). thou didst envelope the earth on every side with beams of worlds
;

light."
1

Rig-Veda,

vii.

99, v.

and

2.

H^ndu Mythology,

p. 244.

100
This

THE GODS OF INDIA

may
be taken as the best explanation of these appearfull agreement with the growth and evolu-

ances and one in

tion of mythological thought.

in these incarnations

We

notice also

an evolution

from the lower forms of life, i.e. the fish, the tortoise, and the boar, through the form of half animal and half manthe Man Lion to the dwarf incarnation, or smallest type of manhood, and then to the highest forms of
heroes,

and men endowed with semi-divine

attributes.

Some

authorities think that

many

of these stories

were originally

written as fables, but the marvellous credulity of modern Hindus has converted them from fables into facts and

magnified the events into miracles. Vishnu disputes with Yama his supreme power over the It is recorded that a certain man named Ajamiia dead.

was notoriously wicked. He killed cows and Brahmans, drank spirits, and lived in the practice of evil all his days. After his death messengers of Yama came to seize him and were about to drag him away to punishment when Vishnu's messengers rescued him. As Yama's records were full of this man's iniquities he hastened to Vishnu's heaven and demanded an explanation. Vishnu told him that the reason was that on the point of death he had repeated his name. This was sufficient, and that no matter how evil a man's life may have been if he died with the name of Vishnu or the name of one of his incarnations on his lips, he would most certainly be saved. Most Hindus believe this. They have only to gasp out
the

name of all names

"

" " " " " or Krishna," Narayan or Hari sacred to Vishnu at the last hour and they are

Rama

J>

a full salvation. As the dead body of a Hindu wrapped in swathes of white cotton is laid on bamboo poles and taken down to the Burning Ghat, the mourners
certain of

"

Rama, Rama, Satya Nama

"

"

cry

That name itself, representing an incarnation of Vishnu, has power to swing back the portals of Death, to defeat the emissaries of Yama, and to secure certain admitname/'
tance to heaven.

Rama, Rama, the True

VISHNU,
"
It is

101
belief

a matter of

common

that Vishnu sleeps lor

four months every year, from the eleventh of the bright half of the month Asark (June-July) till the corresponding

time of the month Karttik (October-November). During these four months, while the god sleeps, demons are abroad, consequently an unusual number of protective festivals are held in this period. On the day the god retires to rest women

mark

the house with lines of cow-dung as a safeguard

they

fast during the day and eat sweetmeats at night. During this time it is considered unlucky to marry, to repair the

thatch of a hut, and

rising

make

string beds.

The day

of his

from sleep marks the commencement of the sugar-cane

when the sugar-cane mill is marked with red paint, and lamps are lighted upon it. On a wooden board about 1 1 feet long two figures of Vishnu and Lakshmi, his wife, are drawn with lines of butter and cow-dung. On the board are placed offerings of cotton, lentils, water-nuts, and and a fire sacrifice is offered and five sugar-canes are sweets placed near the board and tied together at the top. The
harvest,
;

and

Shalagrama, or stone emblematical of Vishnu, is lifted up, all sing a rude melody calling on the god to wake and join
"

the assembly.

The words
:

of the incantation used to

awaken the sleeping

deity are these

'The clouds are dispersed, the full moon will soon appeal in I come in hope of acquiring purity, to offer to perfect brightness. thee the fresh fruits of the season. Awake from thy long slumber ;
awake, Lord of the worlds, awake
}
!

"

The is awake and the harvest may commence. whole village is then a scene of mirth and revelry, and dancing and singing go on while the fresh fruits of the harvest are being 1 brought in." Vishnu is usually represented as a black man with four
1

Brahman The god

After the ceremony has been duly performed the officiating declares that the auspicious moment has arrived.

Crooke, Popular Religion and Folk-Lore in Northern India,

li.

299.

102
;

GODS OF INDIA
; ;

arms in one hand he holds a club in another a shell in the third a discus, a kind of quoit, the instrument with which he slew his enemies ; and in the fourth a lotus. He reclines on a snake, his dwelling-place is in the water, and he rides on
the mythical bird,

Gam da.
of this

The means by which the favour

god
"

is

to be ob-

The supreme tained are explained in the Vishnu Purana. Vishnu is propitiated by a man who observes the institutions
the

and purificatory practices ; no other path is to He who offers sacrifices, sacrifices to way please him. him ; he who murmurs prayer prays to him he who injures
of caste, order,
;

living creatures injures

him

for
'

Han

(Vishnu)

is all

things.

Kesava (another name, meaning he who has excellent hair ') who is more pleased with him who does good to others
;

never utters abuse, calumny, or untruth

any animate or inanimate thing who is ever diligent in the service of the gods, of the Brahmans, and of his spiritual preceptor (Guru)
;
;

another's wife, or another's wealth, towards none ; who never beats or slays

who never and who bears

;

covets
ill-will

who
is

is

ever desirous of the welfare of

;

all creatures,

of his

and of his own soul in whose pure heart no pleasure derived from the imperfections of love and hatred. The man who conforms to the duties enjoined by scriptural authority
children,

of life is he who best worships no other mode." x In the Bhagavata Purana this high teaching is further " The favour of Vishnu is to be obtained by pure emphasized unselfish love in the hearts of his worshippers, and not by

for every caste

and condition

Vishnu

there

is

high birth, vast learning, boundless wealth, or any other worldly things. Therefore, ye men, offer supreme love unto Hari. 1 tell you that the highest attainments of man consist
of two things supreme love and devotion unto the Lord, and regarding him with the greatest reverence as manifested
:

in

created things. This love or devotion is denned as full and undivided attachment towards God. The
all

'

'

'

'

attachment that a miser has for

1

his gold,

a mother for her

124.

Wilkms, Hindu Mythology, p

LAKSHMI, GODDESS OF FORTUNE

108

new-born babe, and a lover for his mistress. The means by which this deep affection may be attained are specified as
(i)

panionship
universal

devotion to one's Guru or religious teacher with God-devoted men and men
;
' '

(2)

comof

full

sympathy

and acquirements
;

surrendering to the Lord all actions this being the door to non-attachment ;
;

(3)

'

'

(4) loving Vishnu, and dwelling beneath his lotus feet with a purified mind (5) loving all things because in them the

deity exists ; (6) exercising constant control over the six internal foes of a godly life, viz. lust, anger, greed, worldly-

mindedness, pride, and envy."

II.

LAKSHMI, GODDESS OF FORTUNE

"

Then, seated on a

lotus,

Beauty's bright goddess, peerless Out of the waves."

Sri,

arose
p. 499.

MONIER WILLIAMS, Indian Wisdom,

A more general name for Lakshmi is

Sri

she is the Sakti or

active energy of Vishnu, a goddess of exceptional charm and beauty and of spotless character. No god appears in so many different forms or incarnations as Vishnu ; and,

Lakshmi, accommodating her husband, is likewise found in When Vishnu was born as a dwarf , the son of guises. when he Aditi, Lakshmi appeared from the lotus as Padma when Krishna, she was was born as Rama, she was Sit a Rulomni. If he takes a celestial form she appears as divine if a mortal, she becomes mortal too, transforming her own person agreeably to whatever character it pleases Vishnu to

many

assume. 1

regarded throughout India as the goddess of Beauty, Prosperity, Fortune. When a man grows rich it is said that Lakshmi has come to dwell with him, and when he

Lakshmi

is

" forsaken by Lakshmi." sinks into adversity he is spoken of as She reigns in the hearts of all Hindus as Fortune's queen, and

although she has no temples she

1

is

assiduously courted

and

is

Vishnu Purana,

p.

So

quoted by Wilkins, p 128.

104

THE GODS OF INDIA

for increase of prosperity

more Invoked

than Kuvera, the god

of wealth, himself.

The account
the one

of her birth, as given in the Ramayana, is commonly received. She rose like Aphrodite, radiant

and
milk

glorious,
1

articles

from the sea only it was the Hindu sea of She was one of the most precious of the inestimable produced by the churning of the ocean by the gods
:

The reason for Lakshmi's birth is given in the " One day a The story runs as follows saint named Durvaras, a portion of Siva, was travelling, when he met a celestial nymph with a sweet-smelling garland, which, at his request, she gave to him. He grew excited by the scent and began to dance. Meeting Indra, seated on his elephant, to please the mighty god he presented him with the garland. The god placed it round the elephant's neck and the elephant in turn grew excited, seized the garland with his trunk, and threw it on the ground. Whereupon the saint was displeased that his gift was slighted, and cursed

and demons. 1

Vishnu Purana.

wane.

Indra in his anger, so that from that time his power began to As the effects of this terrible curse were experienced by the gods, they sought help from Brahma, who could not

help them, but conducted them to Vishnu. Vishnu told them to seek help from the demons, and that if the gods and demons
lift

unitedly stirred the ocean a Being would be born who would the curse from Indra. On Lakshmi's appearance the
sages were enraptured, the heavenly choristers sang her praises, celestial nymphs danced before her. Ma Ganga and

and the

the other sacred rivers followed her, and the heavenly elephants poured the pure river waters upon her. The sea of milk presented her with a wreath oi unfading flowers and the artist of the gods decorated her with lovely ornaments. Thus bathed, attired, and adorned she cast herself on the breast of Vishnu, and then presented to the gods the divine
conflict

cup of nectar, which, having quaffed, they went forth to the and were successful in removing the curse from Indra." 2
2

See

Kurma Avatar a,

Wilkins,

p. in. Hindu Mythology, pp.

130-2.

LAKSHMI, GODDESS OF FORTUNE

"

105

When many a year had fled, Up floated, on her lotus bed,

A maiden

fair, and tender eyed In the young flush of beauty's pride. She shone with pearl and golden sheen,

And seals of glory stamped her queen. On each round arm glowed many a gem. On her smooth brows a diadem.
The
Rolling in waves beneath her crown, glory of her hair rolled down Pearls on her neck of price untold,

The lady shone like burnished gold. Queen of the gods, she leapt to land,

lotus in her perfect hand,

And fondly of the lotus sprung, To lotus-bearing Vishnu clung. Her, gods above and men below
As Beauty's Queen and Fortune know."
It is said that
l

graces and gifts

and desired to appropriate them. Satapatha Brahmana, XL 4, 3, we read

:

even the gods were envious of Lakshmi's In the

"Beholding her there standing resplendent and trembling the gods were covetous of her and proposed to PrajapatI that they should be allowed to kill her and appropriate her gifts. He replied that she was a female and that males did not generally kill females. They should therefore take from her her gifts without depriving her of life. In consequence Agni took from her food ; Soma, kingly authority
;

Varuna, imperial authority

Bnhaspati, priestly glory SarasvatI, nourishment."
;

Mitra, martial energy

Indra, force

Savitri,

dominion

Pushan, splendour

fickle the goddess of fortune the epithet But there is no sound reason why is sometimes given to her. Lakshmi should be so stigmatised. She is always seen with
is

As Lakshmi

"

3>

her lord, the model of constancy and wifely devotion. When Vishnu is reclining in profound peace on the thousand-headed
serpent, Sesha the type of infinity Lakshmi is found pooing his feet. When her lord is incarnated as
1

sham-

Rama,

Griffith,

Ramayana,

i.

204.

106

THE GODS OF INDIA

of her

Lakshmi springs
most
"
Sri,

own

will

from the furrow as

Sita, the
:

faithful of wives.

In the Vishnu Parana we read

mother of the world,
3

the bride of Vishnu, the

is

eternal,

im-

perishable.
is

As he

is

all-pervading, so she
;

is

omnipresent.

Vishnu
underIn
is

standing,

meaning, she is speech and she intellect.

is

he

is

polity,

she piudence,

He
all

He righteousness, and she

is

devotion.
that

a word Vishnu

all

that
is

called male

and Lakshmi
l

termed female

there

nothing else than they."

The son
Love.

of Vishnu

and Lakshmi

is

Kamadeva, the god

is

of

The Diwali, or

"

Feast of Lamps/' which

the last day of the dark fortnight in the

month

performed on of Karttik

(October-November), is quite a feature in most North Indian towns. Every house burns a lamp or shows a light outside, and often lights are placed on wells and in the fields
to guard the crops from demons.

This festival

is

popular one and

is

chiefly observed in

honour

of

a very Lakshmi.

The people believe that the goddess of wealth and goodluck can be propitiated by gambling. Consequently much takes at this festival. gambling place
festival of

In Bengal, immediately following the Durga Puja, the Lakshmi is held. In every Hindu house a basket,
of wealth

which serves as a representation

is set

and prosperity,

up and worshipped.
with
rice,

filled

This basket, or corn measure, is encircled with a garland of flowers, and then

covered with a piece of cloth. The householders sit up all night with the basket in front of them and wait for Lakshmi
to come, and any negligence of watching is believed to bring misfortune on the family. Also at this time no alms must be given away, nor any money lost or wasted, lest the goddess,

who

is

2 guardian of wealth and prosperity, should be angry.

1

Vishnu Pur ana, p 59 Wilkms, p. 128. Calcutta Review, vol xvin. p. 60.
;

CHAPTER

IV

THE TEN INCARNATIONS, OR AVATARAS OF VISHNU

"

From the unreal lead me to the real, From darkness lead me to light, From death lead me to Immortality "
Prayer in an Upanishad.

As already explained

in the

chapter on Vishnu, whenever

any great calamity threatened the life of gods and men, or any evil shook the world, Vishnu the Preserver came to earth
in
is

some form, animal or human, to

no

right the wrong,

There
of these

definite information as to the exact

number

incarnations.

Some

of the

Hindu

Scriptures give ten,

some

mention twenty-four, and some declare them innumerable.

Ten, however,
these are the
is the most commonly accepted number, and most important ones. Of these ten, nine have already been accomplished and one, the Kalki, is still to come,

This
"
taras
:

is

the

way a Hindu
(the

states the doctrine of the

is

Ava-

As He

grace, kindness, love,

Supreme Spirit) and generosity, He assumed various

an ocean of boundless

similar forms without putting

like nature,

away His own

essential

God-

and time

after

time incarnated Himself in the

several worlds, granting to his worshippers rewards according to their desires, namely,
religion, riches, earthly love

and

salvation
lieving

and descending, not only with the purpose of rethe burden of earth, but also to be accessible to men
;

even such as

we

are, so revealing

Himself in the world as to

be visible to the sight of all, and doing such marvellous works 1 as to ravish the hearts and eyes of all beings high and low."
L

Ramanuja, a fphilosopher

of the
iv. p. 107

Bhagavad
179.

Gita"

School, quoted

m Edinburgh

Conference Report,

108
There
Avataras.
is

THE GODS OF INDIA

an element
of

truth in the doctrine of the

E. Slater says: "The doctrine responds to a deep heart-cry of the people for a religion of faith in a personal God, for a God sympathising with humanity and meeting it in its need. It expresses the desire for a

The Rev.

T.

divine deliverer amid the evils

belief that the

gods can,

and

do,

and miseries of life. The come down to men in their

extremity contains a promise of redemption, but while the Hindu, in conceiving of God condescending to man, and assuming a human form, so far resembles the Christian, the

very different from the Christian." that in these conceptions the unreal and fabulous have distorted and misplaced the real and true. " The shape and operations of these divine and semi-divine beings are generally suggestive of the monstrous, the frightful,
conception
itself is

The pity

of

it is

the hideous, and the incredible ; the deeds of its heroes, who are themselves half gods, transport the imagination into the region of the wildest chimera ; and the whole pantheon
itself, teeming with grotesque and unwieldy symbols, with horrible creations, half animals, half gods, with man-

presents

eating ogres, many-headed giants, and disgusting

demons

"

(Monier Williams)

God in the flesh," undoubtedly marks a great development in the religious ideas of the Hindus. There must be some deep truth underlying
The conception
of

an Avatara or

"

the conception that God should descend from heaven and assume the form of a creature for the purpose of saving the

Of the nine manifestations recorded the earlier ones are animals or partly so, the later heroes, the fish sucworld.

ceeding the tortoise, the man-lion the bear. Then the dwarf, then the full-grown heroes Parasurama, Ram Chandra, Krishna, and Buddha. With regard to the animal Avataras

nothing but speculate about their meanings, but with regard to the latter manifestations we may observe that as they are all incarnations of Vishnu they are therefore creations of a period when the worship of that god was paramount. In the story of Parasurama we for the first time

we can do

THE TEN INCARNATIONS

109

reach actuality. We recognise this story as the outcome of the fierce struggle and ultimate victory of the Priest over the Warrior class and in Ram Chandra, Krishna, and Buddha we admit real persons, who have undergone a double transforma;

tion, first into

legendary heroes, and afterwards into powerful

gods.

Here we arrive at something which resembles history, our feet seem to touch solid ground. We have no hesitation
in believing
it

possible that these heroes existed in the flesh at

of Vishnu, are

some remote period of Indian history. The Ten Incarnations, or Avataras,

I.

THE FISH INCARNATION, OR MATSYA AVATARA

In Hindu writings mention is frequently made of a great flood that in the early ages devastated the world. This bears a striking resemblance to the flood described in the Book of
Genesis.

In order to preserve the human race from absolute extinction in the flood Vishnu appeared in the form of a
great fish
race,

and rescued Manu, the progenitor of the new human from destruction. Manu, like Noah, by his piety in
of universal depravity,

an age
Being.

won the favour

1
:

of the

Supreme

The
"

story

is

found in verse

There

lived in ancient time a holy man Called Manu, who, by penances and prayers, Had won the favour of the Lord of Heaven.

One day

they brought him water for ablution Then, as they washed his hands, a little fish Appeared, and spoke in human accents thus Take care of me, and I will be thy Saviour From what wilt thou preserve me?' Manu asked.
;
:

'

'

The
*

flood will sweep away fish replied I will lescue thee from that.' All creatures
:

'

But how

The

We
For

preserve thee ?' Manu said. so long as we are small, aie in constant danger of destruction,
shall
I

fish rejoined,

'

fish eat fish

I

so keep
jar,

When
1

outgrow the

me in a jar, then dig a trench,

Momer

Williams, Indian Wisdom, p, 24.

110

THE GODS OF INDIA

place me there; when I outgrow the trench, Then take me to the ocean I shall then Be out of reach of danger/ Having thus Instructed Manu, straightway rapidly The fish grew larger then he spoke again In such and such a year the flood will corne

And

'

Therefore const net a ship, and pay me homage. When the flood rises, enter thou the ship, And I will rescue thee. So Manu did
3

As he was ordeied, and preserved the Then carried it in safety to the ocean

fish,
;

And in the very year the fish enjoined He built a ship, and paid the fish respect, And there took refuge when the flood arose.
Soon near him swam the
fish,

and

to its

horn

Manu made

fast the cable of his vessel.

Thus drawn along the waters, Manu passed Beyond the northern mountain. Then the fish Addressing Manu, said, I have preserved thee,
'

Quickly attach the ship to yonder tree But lest the waters sink from under thee,
;

As

fast as

they subside, so fast shalt thou

Descend the mountain gently after them.' Thus he descended from the northern mountain. The flood had swept away all living creatures Manu alone was left."
:

we

This account differs slightly from others. In the Puranas find that, in addition to Manu, the Seven Divine Rishis, 1

the"

mind-Born

sons* of

Brahma, and

their wives

were also

preserved by the Fish from extinction." By them the world was afterwards repopulated. Again it is said that the purpose
of the

After the earth

Fish Incarnation was to rescue the Four Holy Vedas. had been submerged in the waters these sacred

books remained immersed and the world was in danger of perishing for lack of knowledge. Vishnu then took the form of a fish and descended into the waters and brought to light
again the holy books.
1

See chapter on Divine Rtshis, Pt. IV, ch.

xi.

THE TEN INCARNATIONS

II

111

THE TORTOISE INCARNATION, OR KURMA AVATARA

In Hindu mythology a never-ending warfare is waged between gods and demons. The demons (Asuras), by practising severe austerities, often obtained boons which gave

them ascendancy over the gods. This incarnation was on one such occasion. The demon forces were triumphant and the gods implored Vishnu to help them to regain their lost
power.
"

Vishnu replied

Your strength shall be Only accomplish what

restored, ye
I

gods

now command.

Unite yourselves in peaceful combination With these your foes ; collect all plants and herbs Of diverse kinds from every quarter ; cast them Into the sea of milk take Mandaia,
;

The mountain, for a churning stick, and Vastiki, The serpent, for a rope together churn The ocean to produce the beverage;

Source of all strength and immortality."

This immortal beverage was the water of life, Amrita, which with several other priceless things had been lost in the deluge. The churning began, and Vishnu himself, in the form of a tortoise, descending to the bottom of the sea, allowed his broad back to serve as a pivot on which the mountain swung as it was whirled round by the gods and demons. Once having quaffed the nectar the host of heaven with
strength renewed
"

Struck

down

their foes

who

fell

Headlong through space

to lowest

depths of hell"

The

list

of the priceless

and

typical things rescued at the

Churning
1.

of the

Ocean

is

The

Arnrita, or nectar, conferring immortality.

Dhanvantan, physician of the gods, who holds the cup contaming the Amrita,
2.
1

Monier Williams, Indian Wisdom. Monier Williams, Hinduism, p. 105.

112
3. 4.
5.

THE GODS OF INDIA

Lakshmij or
Sri,

goddess of beauty and fortune.

Sura, goddess of wine. Chandra, the Moon.

6.
7.
8. 9.

Rambha,

a nymph, prototype of a lovely amiable woman. Uccaihstravas, a wonderful horse, prototype of race of horses. Kaustubha, a wonderful jewel.

Parijata, a tree yielding all desires.

Surabhi, the cow of plenty. Airavata, a wonderful elephant prototype of the elephant race. 12. Sankha, a shell, supposed when blown as a horn tcr ensure
10.
1 1.

victory.
13.
14.

Dhanus, an unerring bow. Visha, poison.

III.

THE BOAR INCARNATION, OR VARAHA AVATARA

In
said that

There are conflicting accounts of this incarnation.

the Brahmanas
it is

the Creator, as Prajapati, took the form of a boar for the purpose of raising the earth out of the boundless flood, but the more modern books

Brahma

belief unite in ascribing this deed to Here again we return to the time of the Flood. The earth, we read, was submerged under the waters by a demon named Hiranyaksha and the final extinction of all life was imminent when Vishnu infused part of his essence into the form of a huge boar who dived into the abyss of waters and after a struggle lasting a thousand years slew the demon and rescued the earth. As is to be expected, an

and present popular

Vishnu.

allegorical interpretation of this miracle is given in the Puranas. The elevation of the earth on the tusks of a huge boar is

regarded as the extrication of the world from the deluge of sin by the power of the Supreme Being.

IV.

THE MAN-LION INCARNATION, OR NRISINHA

AVATARA

A demon named Hiranya-Kasipu, brother to Hiranyaksha, had obtained a boon from Brahma that he should not be

THE TEN INCARNATIONS

slain

113

by any gods, men, or animals. This immunity from danger so increased his pride that he usurped universal dominion. The demon's son, Prahlada, was an ardent worshipper ol Vishnu, and by doing so tie incensed greatly his
father,

who hated Vishnu

for

having

slain his brother in

previous incarnation, and, moreover, disputed Vishnu's claim to the lordship of the three worlds in this one. In the

Bhagavad

Git a

we

are told that Prahlada, arguing with his

father, said that

Vishnu was in him, in his

"
:

father, indeed

if Vishnu is So saying he struck it violently with his hand. Immediately Vishnu took the form of a being half lion and half man (as by this combination of man and animal the letter of Brahma's promise was kept), and coming forth from the midst of the pillar, laid hold of 1 t ^ demon by his thighs and tore him asunder with his

Hiranya-Kasipu replied " everywhere, is he not in this pillar ?

everywhere.

Why,

teeth.

V.

THE DWARF INCARNATION, OR VAMANA AVATARA

origin of this incarnation is in the three strides of

The

Vishnu, who, as the sun god, is called in the Vedas "the 1 wide-stepping one," explained in the previous chapter. Bali, king of the demons, was the grandson of Prahlada.

dominion over the three worlds

the lower regions,

He, by reason of his devotions and austerities, had acquired the heaven, the earth, and

and had laid siege to and captured Indra's To remove this insult to the gods capital city, Amravati. and to recover their lost rstato Vishnu appears in the form
of

a Brahman dwarf. This apparently contemptible little being asked the tyrant Bali for the grant of as much land No sooner was his request as he could cover in three strides. granted than, miraculously expanding, the dwarf became a giant and with one step he strode over the heavens, and with the second covered the earth, but then relenting he left the
1

Sec p. 98.

lit

THE GODS OF INDIA

dominion of the lower regions to Bali and the demon hosts. 1 Another legend, narrated by Wilkins, declares that after his
conquest Vishnu gave Bali the choice of going to heaven, taking with him five ignorant people, or of going to hell with five wise. He chose the latter, for as he said, " There is no
pleasure anywhere in the company of the ignorant a bad place with good company is enjoyable."
;

whilst

VI.

RAMA-WITH-THE-AXE (PARASURAMA) AVAT&RA

The incarnation of Rama with Axe 2 was undertaken for the sole purpose of exterminating the Kshatriya, or warrior, caste. Between the two great castes, the Brahman and
Kshatnya, there was a prolonged straggle in early days for pre-eminence. Over and over again the warrior or kingly caste tried to assert its authority over the But priestly. eventually success lay with the Brahmans, and for over 2000
years

now they have been the dominant caste. Parasurama, an incarnation of Vishnu, was of Brahman
li
'

1 The Dwarf Wherefore 1 ask from thee, the chief of the bountiful a small portion of ground, three paces, lord of the Daityas, measured by my steps. I desire nothing more from thee, the generous lord of the world. A wise man incurs no sin when he asks only as much as he needs. He who is not contented with three paces of ground will not be satiated even with a continent, he will desire the gift of the seven continents Wherefore I desire from thee, who art the chief
:

of the bountiful, only three paces of ground.

With

so

much

as suffices
said,

for

my maintenance
'

That dwarfish body of the infinite Hari (Vishnu) consisting of the three qualities increased miraculously (v. He traversed the earth 33). of Bali with one pace ; and (filled) the air with his body and the arms His second pace, as he strode (occupied) the heaven ; and not the minutest fraction oi it remained for his third pace. The foot of the wide-striding deity rose upwards and upwards," &c. Bhagavata Purana, viii., sections 19, v. 16, and V. 21. 20,
So called because he always carries an axe, said to have been by Siva Parasurama is to be distinguished by this sign from Balarama, Krishna's brother, and Ram Chandra, another incarnation of Vishnu.
given him
2

smiling "

Take what

complete.' thou desirest

'

am

Being thus addressed Bali

points of the compass with his

THE TEN INCARNATIONS

parentage,

115
It

and the son

of

a devout Rishi, Jainadagni.

happened that one day, during the absence ol the sage, a mighty monarch of the Kshatriya caste, Karttavirya by name, who was endowed with a thousand arms, and possessed a wonderful golden chariot which went wherever he willed it to go, visited the hermitage and was hospitably entertained

by the

Rishi's wife.

The king not only

failed to

make any

return for the hospitality, but on his departure carried off the calf of the wonderful Cow of Plenty owned by the Rishi

was so enraged at the indignity he pursued the king and killed Mm in battle. Then the king's sons retaliated, and in Rama's absence from home attacked the hermitage and killed his aged and helpless father. Para&urama then vowed vengeance against the whole Kshatriya race, and seven times over cleared the world of every male member of that caste,
Parasurama (see p. 221). offered to his father that
filling

with their blood

terrible

After taking this five large lakes. revenge he retired in peace to the Mahendra mountain.

VII.

THE RAM CHANDRA AVATARA

is one of the most important, and India is a most popular object of worship. North throughout One of the most beautiful poems in the world's literature

This incarnation

the

"

Ramayana

"

sufferings,

and the devotion

enshrines the legend of the bravery, the " " of the moon-faced Rama,

and the equally matchless purity and grace of his wife Sit a. Volumes might be written about this hero-god, but the merest
outline of his
1

doings will be presented in the succeeding

VIII.

chapter.

THE KRISHNA AVATARA

This also is so important an incarnation of Vishnu that a separate chapter will be devoted to it. 2 Krishna disputes with Ram Chandra the honour of popular pre-eminence in North India. His worship is immensely popular, and his
1 2

See Part III, chap. v. See Part III, chap. vi.

316

THE GODS OF INDIA

votaries regard him not as a mere incarnation of Vishnu but as the Supreme Being himself.

IX.
"

THE BUDDHA AVATARA

The Buddha incarnation was originally foreign to the cycle of the Avataras of Vishnu, and therefore is only briefly alluded to in some of the Puranas. Where this is done the intention must have been to effect a compromise between Brahmanism and Buddhism by trying to represent the latter

The meagre mention

l religion as not irreconcilably antagonistic to the former." of Buddha in Hindu writings need

occasion no surprise if we remember that the Brahmans, in their antagonism to Buddhism, teach that Vishnu became incarnated as Buddha for the purpose of inculcating error The Bhagavata Purana says, " By his words, as Buddha, Vishnu deludes the heretics." What a dreadful conception
!

The incarnate Deity teaching damnable error. Yet was the means devised by the Brahmans to prevent the people becoming Buddhists. To account for this hatred it must be remembered that at one time throughout Northern India Buddhism supplanted Hinduism as the predominant faith. After some centuries of supremacy the inherent
is this.

this

weaknesses of Buddhism, its divisions, its monasticism, and inertia caused its decay. To-day scarcely a Buddhist remains on the vast Gangetic plain where Buddha lived and
its

wrought righteousness. Hinduism, all accommodating, ap2 propriated Buddha, and found a niche for him in the Pantheon of Brahmanism as an incarnation of Vishnu. Buddhism
though conquered and submerged, has left an its conquerors. To-day to Hindu and Buddhist alike all things tend towards the life contemplative rather than the life active. "Action," as Amiel says, is "coarsened thought." Passivity is, therefore, preferred
nevertheless,
indelible

mark upon

the Eastern.

Life

is

weariness and vexation of

spirit,

by and

death
1

is

an object
life

of desire rather than

a dread.

The bourne
vii.

Goldstucker, article in

Chamber's Encyclop&dia.
is

The

story of

Buddha

given in Part III, chap,

THE TEN INCARNATIONS

117

of all life's struggle is to be absorbed in the Universal Soul, to be again what one was before birth, unseparated, nondifferentiated from the Supreme.

X. THE KALKI AVATARA*

Unlike
plished.
is

all

As

the others, this incarnation is not yet accomthe Jews still wait for the promised Messiah who

to inaugurate a reign of righteousness, so it is the pious hope and expectation of the Hindus that Vishnu will again visit the scene of his past exploits, to usher in a reign of

universal prosperity and peace. In striking agreement with the Christian prophecy of the second coming of Christ in the Book of Revelation, this

descent will not

come to pass

until the

end

of the Kali

Yuga,
into

or Fourth Era, which began

when Krishna reascended

heaven, from which time the world has become wholly corrupt. When evil reigns supreme Kalki is to be revealed in the sky, 2
riding a white horse, with drawn sword, blazing like a comet, for the final destruction of the wicked, and the restoration

the

era of purity, righteousness, and peace, similar to Some of period, the Krita-Yuga, or Golden Age. the depressed classes in India comfort themselves, contrary to the prophecy quoted, by the expectation that Kalki will
of a
first

new

appear as their future deliverer and the restorer of their lost social position. How remarkable it is that a belief in a

coming Redeemer seems to exist in all religions. The Jew, and Hindu, the Buddhist, who looks forward to a future Buddha, and the Muhammadan, who awaits the
Christian,

coming Mahdi,
1

all

unite in this great hope of the future.

is

This incarnation
It is also said

called the Nishkalank,

"

spotless," or "sinless

"

one.

the family that Vishnu, as KaUa, will be re-born devout Brahman of Sambhal village, when he will be endowed with eight superhuman faculties, by means of which he will destroy all the Mlechchhas (pariahs and outcasts and low caste peoples), thieves and robbers, and all whose minds are devoted to These Mlechchhas now number upwards of 50 millions iniquity.
2

of Vishnuyasas, a

of people.

CHAPTER V
RAMA AND
11

SITA,

THE HINDU IDYLL

;

Her presence is ambrosia to my sight Her contact fragrant sandal her fond arms,
;

Twined round

Than costliest gems, and m my house she reigns The guardian goddess of my fame and fortune,

my neck,

are a far richer clasp

Oh

could never bear again to lose her."

Rama's

and

description of his love for Sttd (translated set in verse by Prof, H. H, WILSON)

THE fame
idyll of

of Ajodhya, second only to Benares

sanctity,

rests securely in its association

the loves of
is

Rama
in

with the wondrously beautiful and Sita, the gem of Hindu literature.

The legend
(c.

told in the Sanskrit Epic of the

1000

B.C.),

and

scenes of the story.

too, the

Ramayana Ajodhya are laid all the early and later Here is the birthplace of Rama here,
;

young bridegroom brought home

with

the peerless Sita,

youth, beauty, sweetness, goodness, and dear as his own soul. Here also, the long conflict prudence, over, Rama returns to reign in triumph on the throne of his
fathers.
If the description of the city

endowed

given in the Epic

is

true the place

days.

must have been splendid indeed in those early city of broad streets and famous temples, green
of limpid water, banners
;

groves and palace gardens, pools

in the scented air
;

Brahrnans chanting Vedic hymns waving musicians playing and singing lyrics in honour of King Dasaratha, the Maharajah who dwelt in his palace in the
midst of the
city.

The character

of this potentate, the father of

Rama,

as

given in the Ramayana, is an exceedingly pleasant one. He is learned and accomplished. He knew the sacred Vedas and
118

RAMA AND
Vedangas,
i.e.

119

These are our modern knowledge it is interesting to learn that they were helps to ritual, pronunciation, metre, grammar, the explanation of the meaning of
six in

helps to the study of the Vedas.

light of

number, and in the

words, and astronomy. Only one misfortune hindered his perfect felicity. The king was childless, and for a Hindu to be without a son to perform his funeral rites is a calamity indeed. The people
their king and wished for the dynasty to be The king determined to make the great horse sacrifice to the gods, and for a year the votive horse was allowed to wander at will and was after that time slain.
of

Ajodhya loved

maintained.

Now the gods, also, were in trouble. They were constantly at war with the Rakshasas, a race of savage demons whose leader was Ravana, the king of Lanka (Ceylon). So
when the
was made by Dasaratha, king of Ajodhya, Vishnu appeared before the gods and asked what request they had to make
sacrifice

for the gift of a son,

"

King Dasaratha, thus cried they, Fervent in penance many a day ?

The

sacrificial

steed has slam,

Longing

for sons, but all in vain.

the cry of us foilorn. Incarnate as his seed be born. Three queens has he each lovely
;

Now at

dame

Like Beauty, Modesty, and Fame. Divide thyself in four, and be His offspring by these noble three

Man's natuie

take,

and

slay

m fight
;

Ravan, who laughs at heavenly might This common scourge, this rankling thorn Whom the three worlds too long have borne."

Vishnu agreed to the god's request, and sent a messenger with a golden vase of nectar, which he gave to the king and instructed him to give the liquid to his queens to drink. Queen Kausalya drank half the nectar, and so became the
1

Griffith,

Ramayana,

i.

84.

120

THE GODS OF INDIA

mother of Rama. The other half he divided between Ms Kaikeyi other two wives, and they were blessed with progeny. bore Bharata, and Sumitra, Lakshman and Satraghna. Rama and Lakshman had from the first the strongest affection for each other, and when they grew up became inseparable. Now King Janaka of Mithala had a most beautiful
daughter.

Her origin was as wondrous as her beauty. One day as he was ploughing an infant sprang from the ground over which his plough had just gone, and he named her Sit a
to

a furrow). On account of her magic birth Sit a is said be another form of Lakshml, born again so that she might revenge herself and accomplish the death of Ravana, who had l insulted her grievously in a former birth
(i.e.
1 Birth The story of the birth of Sita is also related in of Sita the Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, section xvii, p. i. " Ravana, in the course oi his wanderings through the woild, comes to the forest on the Himalaya, where he sees a damsel of brilliant

beauty, but in ascetic garb, of whom he straightway becomes enamoured. He tells her that such an austere lite is unsuited to her youth and attractions, and asks who she is, and why she is leading

an

She answers that she is called Vedavati, the ascetic existence. daughter of the sage Kusadhvaja, sprung from him during his constant The gods wished that she should choose a husstudy of the Vedas band, but her father would give her to no one else than to Vishnu, the lord oi the world, whom he desired for his son-in-law. This resolution provoked Samblm, king of the Daityas, who slew her lather, Kusadhvaja, while sleeping, on which her mother, after embracing his body, entered into the fire Vedavati then proceeds In order that I may fulfil this desire of my father in respect of Narayana (Vishnu) I wed him with my heart. Having entered into this engagement I From the desire of obtaining him I resort practise great austerity.
'
:

to this severe observance.'

Ravana's passion is not in the least diminished by this explanaand he urges that it is the old alone who should become distinguished by accumulating merit through austerity; prays that she who is so young and beautiful shall become his bride and boasts that he is superior to Vishnu. She rejoins that no one but he would thus contemn that deity. On receiving his reply he touches the hair of her head with the tip of his finger. She is greatly incensed and forthwith cuts off her hair, and tells him that as he has so insulted her she cannot continue to live, but will enter into the fire before his eyes. She goes on Since I have been insulted in the forest by
tion,
, '

'

RAMA AND
The marriage
wise.

SlTA

121

of Rama to Sita was brought about in this In primitive times the maiden was often given in marriage to the victor in savage sports or trials of strength. In some aboriginal hill tribes in India to-day the bride is

won by capture. The Raja proclaimed that his fifteen year old daughter, Sita, would become the prize of the Kshatriya, who could bend and string an enormous bow which was given
him by Siva as the reward of sacrifice. No other competitor was able even to lift the bow from the ground, but Rama l
not only strung
it, but in bending it, snapped it in two, to the wonder and fright of the beholders. He thus became the husband of Sita.

that so

It is interesting to find in the description of their many of the present Hindu marriage rites

marriage

have the

is

sanction of antiquity. In the Ramayana Rama's marriage described as celebrated in the old Aryan fashion. The
bride

the altar,
thee
tion.'

and bridegroom stand before the sacred fire kindled on In the presence of the fire, symbol of Agni, the

who art wicked-hearted, I shall be born again, for thy destrucHaving thus spoken, she entered the blazing fire. Then a

shower
lord,

who has been bom

;

of celestial sparks fell from every part of the sky. She it is, as the daughter of the King Janaka and has

'

become thy bride for thou art the eternal Vishnu. The Mountainlike enemy who was (virtually) destroyed before by her wrath has now been slain by her, having recourse to thy superhuman energy.' " 1 The following passage in the Ramayana describes the character
of

Rama " He was

:

the delight of his father, his mother, friends, brothers,

;

and the people at large he was one who addressed everybody softly and gently when addressed harshly himself he made soft answers. He ever delighted in the society of those who were advanced in learnhe was wise, generous, and of sweet address. ing, virtue, and age Valorous was he, but never boasting of his own valour open-hearted, one who was beloved by all his prudent, a respecter of the aged
; ; ;
;

dependents, respected by the citizens, full of compassion, with his angry passions in subjection not in the least covetous of the kingdom, though he knew that it was his lawful heritage for he considered the acquisition ot wisdom as more desirable than that of earthly power. A keeper of promises one who could appreciate the merits of others ; who had his own passions in control who was firm of his own purpose ; who preferred truth to life and happiness."
;
; ; ;

122

THE GODS OF INDIA

are sprinkled bridegroom takes the hand of the bride, and they The bride with water, first consecrated by the priests. then walks round the fire seven times. In marriage, as in

funeral

rites,

the vast elemental forces of nature

fire

and

water are the agents used to-day, as in the dim ages of the past,
" Little the attempt to install Rama as the to succession throne, ultimate of his a Raja/' recognition and of his right to have some share in the administration of

The next event

is

the State during his father's lifetime. The people, hearing of the city is illuminated, the king's intention, are delighted and they spend the night in festivities. But the insidious
,

trusted influences of palace intrigue are also at work. female servant goes to Kaikeyi, the mother of Bharata, and
succeeds in exciting her jealousy to such an extent that she determines to have her son installed, and Rama exiled. She
gains her way by a mixture of Oriental deceit and the wiles and seductions of lovely womanhood. She secludes herself

and refuses to be comforted. and she makes him pledge his word to grant her request, no matter what it may be. The king She then calls the gods to foolishly promises to grant it. witness the oath of her husband, and threatens to kill herself
in a distant

room

of the palace

The king

visits her,

before

morn

if

he refuses to ratify the promise.

When

the

king hears her demand he becomes nearly mad with grief, yet feels himself bound by oath to comply, and when on the

morrow Rama, gorgeously apparelled, was led into his father's presence, he receives, instead of the expected honour, the sentence of exile for fourteen years in the jungles of the
South.

When Rama
Sita,

returned in sorrow to break the news to he found to his surprise that she cared little for the loss

wandering

of the throne, or for the pain life, so long as she

her beloved.

She

is

the ideal

and privations of the lonely was permitted to accompany of wifehood, and her pleadings

to accompany her husband are instinct with the highest devotion and the richest type of self-sacrifice. Sir Monier

RAMA AND
:

SlTA

123

Williams has translated the passage in which she pleads with Rama into verse
"

wife must share her husband's fate, My duty is to follow thee Where'er thou goest. Apart from thee, I would not dwell in heaven
itself.

Deserted by her lord, a wife Close as thy shadow would

after.

is
I

like a

miserable corpse. cleave to thee in this life

and here-

Thou
It is

art

my

my king, guide, my only refuge, If thou fixed resolve to follow thee,

forests,
I

my

my

divinity.

must wander

foith

Through thorny trackless

will

go before thee, treading

thy path, walking before

down
The
prickly brambles to

make smooth

thee, I Shall feel no weariness

the forest thorns will

seem

like silken robes,

The bed

of leaves, a couch of down,

To me

the shelter of thy preitself.

sence
Is better far

than stately palaces, and paiadise

Protected by thy arm, gods, demons,

men

shall

have no power

to

harm me,
With thee
sweet
food of life. given by thy hand, they will to me be like the Roaming with thee in desert wastes, a thousand years will be a day
If
I'll

live

contentedly on roots and

fruits.

Sweet or not

Dwelling with thee, e'en hell

bliss."

itself

would be

to

me

a heaven of

At last Rama consented to take her, but insisted that, as an additional protection, his brother Lakshman should accomclad pany them. They left the city, walking with bare feet, to first their made and in sorrowful garments, Prayag way that Dasaratha had died (Allahabad), and there they heard and Bharata rode in oi grief shortly after their departure to his return to Rama to haste kingdom, but Rama persuade Bharata refused until the full term of Ins exile was completed.
;

him

therefore consented to reign in his stead, but always regarded as the rightful king, and kept a pair of shoes of Rama's, to view on state occasions to indicate which were

exposed

that he was only acting as Viceroy. Then Rama and Sita continued their journeyings further

124

THE GODS OF INDIA

and further south, till they came to the Hill of Chitrakuta, in the jungles of Bundelkhand, and there they built a hut of leaves and tree-branches, and lived on forest-food venison,
fruits,

and honey.
their

The Epic narrates that during

visited the hermitages of

wanderings they

sages, and found that these holy men were frequently attacked in their solitudes by the Rakshasas (see p. 289). Some historians have

many Brahman

tried to identify these savages with the Buddhists of South India and Ceylon. Colour is given to this thought as Ravana, their leader, was King of Ceylon, but it is probably the inven-

tion of the

Brahman

priests,

who

tried

everywhere to supplant

tried to put a stop to the ceremonies of the Brahmans, but Rama became their champion, and in a great battle routed utterly 14,000 Rakshasa

and discredit Buddhism. So we read that these Rakshasas

In revenge beloved Sita, for

warriors.
"

Ravana determined

to carry off the

Reft of his darling wife, be sure Brief days the mourner will endure."

The way

Sita

was abducted by Ravana

is

interesting.

Maricha, one of Havana's demons, assumed the form of a beautiful golden deer with silver spots in order to attract
Sita's attention
:

" Doubt not the lady, when she sees The wondrous deer among the trees, Will bid her lord, and Lakshman take

The

creatuie for

its

beauty's sake."

The decoy was

sufficient,

and

at Sita's bidding

Rama

He started in pursuit, leaving Lakshman to guard his wife. shot the deer with his arrow, and as the fiend was dying he
mustered strength, and cried with a loud voice, imitating " " Rama's tones Ho, Sita Ho, Lakshman They ima: !
!

gined that some evil had befallen

1

Rama, and Lakshman

Griffith,

Rdmdyana, m. 143.

RAMA AND

SITA

125

hurried towards the spot whence the cry proceeded, leaving Slta an easy prey to Ravana who was hiding close by ; who

mounted

and flew with her in his magical car to Lanka (Ceylon), where he tried in every way to persuade Slta to become his wife. The story strangely resembles that of the abduction of Helen by Paris and the consequent siege of Troy by the Greeks, with this exception instead of Helen we have the stainless purity of Slta who indignantly scorns and spurns all Ravana's threats and entreaties. Unfortunately the story becomes swollen with exaggerations and supernatural interventions, the truth (for it is quite possible this story had origin in a truth) is lost in the
in the air
his fortress

home

in

myth.

Rama,
hill

king of the Vanar or

aboriginal
chief,

in his wild grief, sought the aid of Sugriva, Monkey tribes (possibly the diminutive
tribes),

and Hanuman,

his

Commander-in1

Large armies of monkeys bore great rocks from the Himalayas and built a bridge across the straits which separate India from Ceylon. The writer has seen these rocks stretching in regular order from the shore, and certainly their appearance to-day supports many a
promised support.

Hindu in his belief in this mythical undertaking. " still known as Rama's Bridge."

They

are

Eventually, by the further aid of the monkeys and after a prolonged and terrible battle (described in article on Ravana, sec p. 291), the army of Rama, under the able generalship
of

Hanuman,

is

completely victorious and Ravana

is

slam.

1 Rama and Hanumaris Army of Apes. Probably referring to the aborigines of the central plains the Bhils, Kols, Santhals, &c., rude " tribes that the Hindu of to-day still speaks of as monkey people." In

support of this we can instance the word bunmanus (Sanskrit vana wood, mannsha=m&n), "man of the woods." The bunmanus is an animal of the monkey kind. His face has a near resemblance to the human he has no tail and walks erect. The skin of his body is black and slightly covered with hair. Further, this is the name of a well-known tribe of jungle folk in North India. (See mention of
;

bunmanus

Campbell's

Kumaon and Nepal and

Ethnology of India,

1866, Part II, p. 46.)

126

THE GODS OF INDIA

at once despatched

Rama
death
litter.

Hanuman
is

to tell Sita of the

of her oppressor,

He

ordered the

of

monkeys may
much.
"

in a covered be opened so that the army see the face of his wife for whom they had

and she

sent to

Rama

litter to

suffered so

He

said

woman's guard

is

not her bower,

;

The lofty wall, the fences tower Her conduct is her best defence,

And

not a king's magnificence."

This speech was the very opposite of the Sita expected, and she was heart-broken as to explain the reasons for which he fought
:

warm welcome

Rama went on

"

Lady, 'twas not for love of thee

I I

led

my aimy

o'er the sea.

battled to avenge the cause Of honour and insulted laws.

My love
And
That

is fled,

for

on thy fame

Lies the dark blot of sin and

flashes

shame

thou art hateful as the light

on the injured
before thee
wilt,

sight.
;

The world

is all

flee

Go where

thou

but not with me.

For Ravan bore thee through the sky, fixed on thine his evil eye About thy waist his arms he threw, Close to his breast his captive drew

And

And

An

kept thee vassal of his power, inmate of his ladies' bower." 2

Poor Sita, victim of this terrible and unjust suspicion, determines to prove her innocence by the great fire-ordeal, the resort of injured innocence in many ages and amongst many races. Lakshman prepares the sacred pyre which is either to vindicate or to destroy her. When all is
ready
1

Griffith,

Ramdyana,

v. 271.

Ibid., 273,

AND SlTA
she walks round
it

127
fire

and before entering the

appeals to

Agni:
"

As

this

From Raghu's

fond heart, by virtue swayed, son 1 has never strayed.

So universal witness, Fire, Protect my body on the pyre. As Raghu's son has idly laid This charge on Sita, hear and aid."

Sita then entered the raging fire, but Agni also appeared, and taking Sita by the hand, led her back to her husband, Meanwhile the gods themdeclaring her pure and spotless. selves had entreated Rama, saying
:

"

Couldst thou, the Lord of all, couldst thou, Creator of the worlds, allow

Thy queen, And give

thy spouse to brave the her body to the pyre ?

yet,

fire

Dost thou not

Thy heavenly

supremely wise., " natiue recognise ?

strange to narrate, had no Idea of his immortal origin, whereupon Brahma declares to him that he is Vishnu incarnated so that he might destroy the demon Ravana who

Rama,

was oppressing the world. Sita is thus amply vindicated and perfect reconciliation takes place. Rama and Sita then return in triumph to Ajodhya* escorted by the faithful Hanuman and his legions of monkeys. They Bharata willingly are crowned by the Brahman priests abdicates a position he never wished to fill, and Rama reigns over the kingdom in great glory and prosperity for many
;

years.
"

Ten thousand years Ajudhia, blest With Rama's rule, had peace and rest No widow mourned hei murdeied mate,
;

No
1

house was ever desolate.

2

Rama.
3

Ibid., 277.

Ibid., v. 278.

128

THE GODS OF INDIA

The happy land no murrain knew, The flocks and herbs increased and grew. The earth her kindly fruits supplied,

No

harvest failed, no children died, want, disease, and crime, So calm, so happy was the time." 1

Unknown were

But alas this idyll was rudely broken. The people of the place began again to poison Rama's mind about his
!

He, in spite of his heavenly origin, seems to have been quick to suspect her who had given him such He banishes her to a hermitage signal proof of her constancy. where her twin sons are born. When they came of age she personally brought them to court, and on her arrival Rama
wife's purity.

demanded that she should prove her innocence before the assembled courtiers. But Sita, the model of wifely patience and long-suffering, would not endure this. She calls on the earth which gave her birth to give her a home, The earth opens and receives her into its bosom. Rama, worn with grief and remorse at his unworthy suspicion, grows tired of life, and Yama comes to tell him that his work is done.

On

hearing the Judge's call he goes to the banks of the sacred stream the river Sarju (Ghagra), a tributary of the Ganges and, forsaking his body, ascends to heaven again as

Vishnu.

In Ajodhya to-day, and in many places scattered over is turned into a play, and the accompanying Around picture shows some of the actors of the tragedy.
India, the epic

many
Sita

a village
forth

fire

draw

many

the wondrous story is told the woes of a tear, the fortitude and heroism of

the gentle

Rama

and
his

craft of the

excite deep regard, eyes glisten as the wiles monkey-god are narrated, and the final

deliverance of Sita,

and the reinstatement

of

Rama

into

kingdom,

elicit

many

a grunt of approval and smile of

relief.

The Rarnayana is one of the world's great epics. It ranks with the Odyssey and the Iliad of the Greeks, and
1

find., p. 314.

RAMA AND
the JEneid of the

SITA

129

Romans, and in its moral grandeur it surYear by year- it deepens its hold on the Indian peoples and lives more and more in their life and
passes

them.
1

thought.

1 For the full story of Rama and Sita, see J. Talboys Wheeler, Indian History, vol. ii. and Wilkins, Hindu Mythology, pp. 170-97, from whose accounts this presentation of the idyll is extracted.
;

CHAPTER VI
KRISHNA, THE HINDU APOLLO
"Pond'nng spake
clear
{
:

the

ancient Bhishma, in his

accents deep

and

Greatest nikdst the great

ii>

Knsiina

Chief of

men without a
!

peer
'

Midst these monarclis pure in lustre, purest hearted and most high " Like the radiant sun is Krishna, midst the planets of the sky

A Hindu

appreciation of Krishna

from Roniesh Dutt's Mahabhdrata, p.

35.

the gauge of religious development there must have been a considerable interval of time (estimated at 1000
years) between the Avatara of

MEASURED by

Rama and

that of Krishna as

incarnations of Vishnu.

Both were earthly potentates, to both are ascribed miraculous powers and martial prowess

but one was the type of virtue and modesty, the other of
licentiousness

and shameless immoralities, If penance and be the austerity leading feature of Siva \\orship, and duty to
one's
family, country and god, that of Rama an ocean of love, then love worship, spiritual and earthly in is the element which Krishna reigns, With it comes

home and

Bhakti, or faith, for the god is present to the true worshipper everywhere, but he is to be spiritually discerned -with this granted, Krishna can satisfy the love of thousands and each

one regards his love as special and individual;

at once sensual

for

it is

love

and

spiritual, love ecstatic

and

all-absorbing,

that

the peculiar note of Krishna worship. " The name Krishna means one who attracts or draws/'
is

and

true to the

name no god among

is

the Hindus

is

now wor-

shipped with the enthusiasm and devotion that Sri Krishna

calls forth.

He

the favourite deity of a large part of India,

1JO

KRISHNA, THE HINDU APOLLO

and young India's
to the ignorant. great and learned.
ideal god.
1

131

Nor

is this

devotion confined

He
"

is

One

eulogised and worshipped by the of the prominent Hindus of the day

the greatest spiritual figure that has appeared in the religious drama of the world." Mrs. Annie Besant, an Englishwoman who has become a leader of neoHinduism, has selected him as her ishta devata, and in a " " letter to Dr. (now Sir H. S ) Lunn, 2 she reaffirms her " profound reverence for Sri Krishna and hopes that one day she may be fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of his divine beauty." In fact, Hinduism itself, driven from its age-long

describes

him as

and credulity by the progress of modern thought, has taken refuge under the figure oi this dancing, pleasure-loving hero-god, and is endeavouring to reconstruct itself by spiritualising his sensual revelries. Even Mahadeva (Siva) is represented as exalting Krishna in the
fastnesses of superstition

following passage
"

Superior even to

Brahma
Sun

is

Hari the Eternal Purusha, Krishna,

brilliant as gold, like the

1

risen in a cloudless sky, ten-armed, of mighty force, slayer of the foes of the gods, adored by all the gods. Brahma is sprung from his belly, and I (Mahadeva) from his head,

the hair of his head, the gods and Asuras (demons) from his hairs, and the Rishis, as well as the everlasting He is the conferrer worjds, have been produced from his body. of honour, born to fulfil the purposes of the gods, and assuming a human body, will slay all the beings in battle. For all the hosts of the gods, destitute of Tnvikrama (z.e. he who strode thrice) are This unable to effect the purposes of the gods, devoid of a leader.
the luminaries from
.

Being.
'

'

it is

is frequently identified with the Supreme The following passages illustrate this Thou art the source and the destruction of this universe, Krishna thou who Greatest it in the beginning, and it is all in thy power,

Krishna (as Vishnu)

thou universal source glory be to thee who wieldest the bow, the " Mahabhetrata Santtparva, vv. 1514. discus, and the sword " The soul of all, the omniscient, the all, the all -knowing, the producer of all, the god whom the goddess Devaki bore to Vasudeva In whom these worlds flutter, like birds in water," &c. (i.e. Krishna). Mahabharata Santipavva, vv 1616. a the Review of the Churches, June 1894. Quoted
;

132
god
SrL
.

THE GODS OF INDIA

is
.

the lotus-eyed, the pioducer of Sri, dwelling together with You, gods, should, as is fit, worship this deity, like the
.

Brahma, approaching him with reverential and excellent garlands of piaise. For the divine and glorious Vasudeva (Krishna) should be beheld by him who desires to see me and Brahma the Parent. In icgard to this I have no hesitation in saying that where he is seen I amjseen, or the Parent Biahma, the lord of the gods,
eternal

know

this

ye whose wealth

is

austerity."

Some Hindus have instituted a comparison between Krishna and Christ. Certain small resemblances founded possibly on the perusal in early times of the apocryphal
Gospels, which may have found their way into India, have been seized upon, and Krishna has been proclaimed as the Hindu Christ. As such is the case let us institute a comparison between the Christian and the Hindu ideal. The facts
of the life of
sufficient in themselves,
It is

Krishna as found in the Hindu Scriptures are and they cannot be gainsaid.
if

very possible that

any

real

Hindu history could be

discovered

many

of the recorded details of Krishna's life

would be found to belong to a Hindu king of that name, for there is no doubt that Krishna was of mortal Proorigin.
this is the most interesting Incarnation of Vishnu on account of the opportunity it affords to trace in Hindu antiquity the gradual transformation of a mortal hero into the representative of one of the principal

fessor Goldstucker declares that

"

gods."
in

The steps by which this took place are clearly traceable Hindu literature. First in the Brahmanas there is a short

reference to the warrior Krishna. The Mahabharata is a very composite book containing many later interpolations. In the briefest, and, probably therefore, the earliest series of stories Krishna is represented simply as an heroic man, the Prince of Dwarka, remarkable for In the superhuman
strength.

Mahabharata he appears as a demi-god acknowledging the greatness of &va. Later on he becomes an incarnation of Vishnu. Later still in
the
1

more elaborate narrative

of the

Avusasana Parva, Mahabharata, vv. 6806.

THE HINDU APOLLO

133

Bhagavad Gita, written about A.D. 700, lie is still further exalted and represented as the Supreme God, and his words in the Git a are accepted as the utterances of the deity condescending to instruct
there
is

men

in

bodily form.

In the Gita

no reference to the conduct of Krishna as described " in the Puranas. I Krishna there describes his mission am bom from age to age, for the preservation of the good,
:

the destruction of the wicked,

and the

re-establishment of

Krishna of the Puranas and especially of the Prem Sagar, the Hindi version of the tenth book of the Bhagavata Pur ana, the source from which the
(religion).

Dharma

"

The

is

facts of his life as given in this chapter are mainly obtained, a very different character from the pure,, exalted Krishna

We will, however, accept the characterisation given in the Puranas as a detailed account of his life is not given in the Gita.
of the Gita.

There was a dreadful demon king Kansa whose tyranny became so unbearable that the whole earth groaned under it. The Earth, assuming the form of a cow, went to Indra and complaining of this said: "Evil spirits have begun to commit great crimes in the world in dread of whom Religion and Justice have departed and if you will permit me, 1 too will abandon the world and descend into the lower regions.
;
; 3 '

Indra in company with the other gods sought redress for the Earth from Vishnu, and Vishnu, when entreated to become incarnate, plucked off two hairs from his head, one white, " and one black, and said to the gods These my hairs shall descend upon the earth, and shall relieve her of the burden
:

The white hair was impersonated as Balarama, and the black hair as Krishna. Shortly after this, Vasudeva, a Rishi, and his wile Devaki <f were being driven by King Kansa in a chariot when a voice in the sky, sounding loud and deep like thunder, addressing
of

her

distress

"

Fool that you are, the eighth child of the Kansa, said " damsel you are now driving shall take away your life Kansa hearing this drew his sword to slay Devaki ; but
: ' !

'

Vasudeva interposed, saying

"

Kill not Devaki, great warrior

134
Spare her
life

THE GODS OF INDIA

and
1 will deliver
forth.''

up to you every child she Kansa, appeased by this promise, spared may bring the lady, but to prevent any mistake he placed a guard, day and night over their apartments. Vasudeva however found means to evade the vigilance of the soldiers and when Devaki gave birth to the eighth child he took the child and, eluding the palace guards, found opportunity to substitute Krishna
with the child of a cow-herd called Nanda.

Soon

after this

the cry of the new-born babe was heard by the guard, and Kansa, rushing into the room, dashed the child against a As an additional safeguard he ordered, like Herod, stone. " that search be made for whatever young children there

may

be,

and

let

every boy in

whom

there are signs of unusual

vigour be slain without remorse." Nanda, with his wife 1 and the infant Krishna, eluded search by fleeing to Gokula. birth the outline main So far the details given resemble in
Other stones of Krishna's childhood include the following Krishna was seven days old, Kansa sent a nurse with poison on her nipple to destroy him, but his highness gave such a pull at it that the nurse dropped down dead. Kansa then sent a crane which
1

When

caught up Krishna, who always looked very small for his age, and But Krishna made such a swallowed him as he would swallow a Irog commotion in the bird's stomach that he was immediately thrown up again. When seven years old his uncle invited him to a feast and
got the largest and most lerocious elephant in India to tread him to

But Krishna took the enormous death as he alighted at the door beast by one tusk and, whirling him round in the air, dashed him to the ground and killed him. When httle Krishna was frisking about among the milkmaids of Govardhan, stealing their butter and cream, Brahma, who had heard

an incarnation of Vishnu, visited the place and had some misgivings from his size and employment as to his ical character. To test his divinity he carried away through the sky a herd of cattle which some of Krishna's favourite playmates were attending Kiibhna, knowing how much the parents of the boys and owners of the cattle
of his being

would be distressed, created in a moment another herd and other attendants so exactly like those that Brahma had taken that the owners of the one and parents of the other remained ignorant oi the change. Brahma, now satisfied that Krishna was a true incarnation of Vishnu, restored to him the real herd and attendants When Krishna saw the real ones returning he removed the others out of the way.

KRISHNA, THE HINDU APOLLO

185

of Christ, but further details of his boyhood and youth show a marked divergence. Krishna was disobedient and mischievous as a boy. On one occasion he tormented the calves to such an extent that his foster mother tied him down to a

heavy wooden mortar. At another time, when a mere infant lying under Nanda's waggon, he cried for the breast, and, being impatient because his mother did not come quickly, he
kicked the waggon and, to the astonishment of the bystanders, it. When Christ was teaching in the Temple and had already formed a high conception of " His Father's busi-

overturned

ness/' Krishna

was playing

all sorts of

mischievous pranks,

stealing butter, upsetting the pails of milk

and curds. He is " butter-stealer," and reprequite commonly as the sented as a child with a pat of butter in his hand.

known
In

obedience are

manhood more known

serious crimes than theft

and

dis-

to him.

He

is

not above falsehood

and deception. On one occasion there was a war between the Kurus, and the Panda vas, and Krishna thought that if the report could be spread that the favourite son of the
chief of the

opposing side was dead he would be too distressed

said
:

to fight.
il

He

Casting aside virtue, ye sons of Pandu, adopt now some contriLet some man therefore tell him vance for gaining the fight. (the king) that Aswatthaman (the son) has been slam in battle."
.

Krishna also
sinless
:

justifies five

kinds of lying and

calls

them

On the occasion of making marriage arrangements, to deceive and beguile a woman, when life is in dangei, or when one's entire property is about to be taken away, or for the sake of a Brahman,
falsehood

"

may

be uttered."

As an example

of the above, Krishna's favourite mistress, the one with whom he is always represented in popular prints is Radha, but she was the wife of Ayanagosha. Her sister-inlaw told her brother of his wife's misconduct, and Radha was in great fear lest her husband should murder her, but Krishna reassured her and promised that if at any time her husband

136

THE GODS OF INDIA

should come he would instantly transform himself into an her with her image of the goddess Kali and instead of finding of lover, Ayanagosha would find her engaged in the worship

Her husband happening to pass at the time he at Kali. once effected the transformation and so completely deceived him that Ayanagosha himself joined his wife in the worship
of the goddess.

a well-authenticated story where murder and Krishna. He was on his way to Muttra to destroy the demon King Kansa. As he approached the city Krishna felt ashamed at the meanness of his dress, (l All are going to the city and said to his brother, Balarama Krishna condition.' in this dressed we cannot go elegantly
There
is

theft are attributed to

then seeing a washerman by the river-bank sent his brother to him, but the washerman would on no account part with A the clothes in his possession as they belonged to the king
quarrel ensued in the midst of which

Krishna killed the

washerman and carried off his clothes. The brothers next went to a shop and stole two necklaces and so completed
their toilet.

from one
saying
<fc

Of Krishna's moral outlook we have a curious quotation of the late Upanishads where he is represented as
:

When

look upon chaste

women

of respectable families,
;

see in

them the Mother Divine ai rayed in the garb of a chaste lady again, when I look upon the public women of the city, sitting in their open verandahs, arrayed in the gaibs of immorality and shamelessness, I see in them also the Mother Divine sporting in a different way."

The story
a

is

narrated in the

woman on

the roadside

Prem Sagar of how he found named Kubja, crooked and de-

who gave him some fragrant ointment. His comand lifting up her head with his thumbs and two fingers, and pressing down her feet with his feet, she stood before him upright as a palm tree. What a beautiful and Chnstlike miracle Alas the miracle is only the prelude to immorality, and the saviour of the body becomes
formed,
passion was aroused,
1
!

its defiler.

KRISHNA,
It is

HINDU APOLLO

187

usual in these cases for Hindus to excuse the doings gods and say that these can on no account be con" sidered sinful. To the mighty is no sin." In other words the gods are beyond and above moral obligation. 1
of their

might pass on to other well-known incidents in life, e.g. his stealing the clothes of the milkmaids of Vraj when they were bathing, and dancing with them in the famous circular dance but sufficient has been given to
Krishna's
;

We

show the general trend

Christ.

of the character of the so-called

Hindu

1 The following is the reasoning by which the author of the Bhagavata Purana attempts to quiet the scruples of some of the purerminded among the devotees of Krishna " The King said The divine lord of the world became partially incarnate for the establishment of virtue and the repression oi vice. How did he, the expounder, author, and guardian of the bulwarks of righteousness practise its contrary, the corruption of other men's wives ? With what object did the lord of the Yadus (Krishna) per? Resolve, devout saint, this our doubt.' petrate what was blameable " Suka said The transgression of virtue, and the daring acts which are witnessed superior beings, must not be charged as faults
:
'

'

blame is imputed to fire, which conThese beings, O King, who are beyond the reach of personal feelings, have no interest in good deeds done in this world, nor do they incur any detriment from the contrary. How much less can there be any relation of good or evil between the lord of all beings, brute, mortal and divine, and the creatures over whom he rules ? (i.e. as Krishna is entirely beyond the sphere of virtue and vice how can any of his actions partake of the nature oi
to these glorious persons, as no sumes fuel of every description
. . .

Since (Yogis), who are satisfied by worshipping the pollen from the lotus oi his ieet, and "by force of abstraction have bhaken off all the fetters of works since even they are uncontrolled,
either ?)

Mums

and act as they

please,

why

should there be any restraint upon

?

Him

He who moves (Krishna) when he has voluntarily assumed a body within the Gopis (milkmen's wives) and their husbands, and all embodied
upon
sport assumed a body beings, is their superintendent, who only earth. Taking a human form out of benevolence to creatures,

he practises sports such as that those who hear of them may become devoted to himself. The (male) inhabitants of Vraja harboured no ill- will to Krishna, since, deluded by his illusion, they each imagined
that his
to their

own

wife

was by
'

his side.

When Brahma's

the Gopis, beloved and gladdened

own homes

"

by Krishna, departed

night had arrived, unwillingly

138

THE GODS OF INDIA

There is, however, another element that enters freely into accounts of Krishna and makes it difficult to sift the true from the false. The supernatural and fabulous appears
all

Let us confine ourselves largely in stories relating to this god. to a few illustrations, excluding his marvellous conflicts with
various demons.

When only eight years old Krishna, in order to annoy Indra, the god of Rain, persuaded the cowherds of Vraj to worship the mountain Govarddhana, on which their cattle browsed, and abandon the worship of the Rain-god. This worship he
the mountain, saying:
diverted to himself as he appeared instantly on the summit of " I am the mountain, worship me."
Indra, greatly angered at the disrespect shown to him, sent floods of ram to sweep away the cowherds and their

down

cattle,

of his

hand held
from the

but Krishna raising the mountain aloft on one finger it over them as an umbrella, and saved his
fierce

friends

storm that raged for seven days and

:

seven nights. 1

The Vishnu Purana narrates the following episode

river

"The

of the serpent Kaliya who made its waters boil with the fires of his passion so that the trees

Jumna was

the

home

its banks were blighted and birds were killed by its fumes. Krishna, however, nothing fearing, plunged into the stream and challenged the great serpent to fight. He vanquished

on

torn

and afterwards regaled himself with, and dispelled the sorrows of the serpent 's wives by playing the flute while they danced to the music."

He
Naraka

also on another occasion

(or

Emm) and

marital obligations.

overcame the demon King adopted the whole of his extensive He married no less than 16,100 of

Naraka 's widows, and had besides eight principal queens. Such was his marvellous power that he multiplied himself so that each lady imagined that she had him solely for her husband. He was blessed with a progeny of 180,000 sons and
daughters
1
1

His career

is

indeed a romance
see

For

this

and preceding legends

Wilkms, Hindu Mythology,

pp. 200-5.

APOLLO
And
his

189

this career closes in an orgy by which he destroys whole progeny. Krishna with numerous other princes went on a picnic to Prabhasa, accompanied by many women

of easy virtue.
girls of

To further heighten the pleasure of the entertainment Krishna sent for the Apsaras (the dancing
Indra's heaven) to join in the revels. were soon overcome with wine and pleasure. Pur ana describes the closing scene
:

The princes The Vishnu

Yadavas (sons of Krishna) drank, the destructive flame of dissension was kindled amongst them by mutual collision and fed
the
with the fuel of abuse. Infunated by the divine influence, they fell upon one another with missile weapons. When these were exhausted they had recourse to the rushes growing high. The rushes m their hands became like thunderbolts and they struck one another \\iih them with fatal blows. Krishna interposed to prevent them, but they thought he was taking part with them severally and continued to Krishna then enraged took up a handful of rushes to destioy fight. them, and the rushes became a club of iron, and with them he slew many of the Yadavas whilst others, fighting fiercely, put an end to one another. In a short time there was not a single Yadava left alive except the mighty Krishna and Daruka."
;

"

As

He

is

then accidentally wounded by a hunter.

The hermit

Durvasa was once entertained by Krishna, but the latter omitted to wipe away the fragments of food which had fallen on the foot of the sage. For this slight Durvasa foretold that Krishna was to die by a wound in the foot. After he left Krishna remained engaged in thought. Assuming one of the attitudes favourable to abstraction (yogga) he laid his left leg across his right thigh, by which means the sole of his foot was turned outward. By chance a hunter named Jara, whose arrow was tipped by a piece of iron, beholding from" a distance the foot of Krishna, mistook it for part of a deer, and shooting his arrow pierced the sole. Jara, seeing
his mistake, fell at

To whom Krishna replied

Krishna's ieet and begged forgiveness. Fear not in the least go, hunter,
' :

through my favour to heaven, the abode of the gods/ Immediately a celestial car appeared, in which the hunter ascended and Krishna then abandoned his mortal body. to heaven
;

140

THE GODS OF INDIA

The closing scenes in the life of Krishna suggest a feature He is present at the death in Vishnuism not often explained.
of his brother, he sees his sons in fierce conflict

and

assists

man, and he himself like in wounded the Achilles, heel, by the arrow of a perishes " l Notwithhunter. Referring to this feature Earth says has deMuse the which with character the amiable standing and even lighted to invest Krishna there is something sad

them

to

kill

one another to the

last

cruel at the basis of the legend. It is in a smiling mood that he presides over all these acts of destruction, that he sees the end of his people approaching and prepares to meet
it. ... Though less fierce than Siva, Vishnu is nevertheless, on one side of his character, an inexorable god he too is that Time which devours everything." These are the main facts of the life of a most amazing
;

and incomprehensible

character.

Amazing and incompre-

hensible because the lofty sentiments of the Git a harmonise ill with the records of Krishna in the older and therefore

probably more authentic portions of the Mahabharata and The Gfta, moreover, does not detail the life of its author and the Puranas give us what we know of Sri
the Puranas.

Krishna.

The

battle of

neo-Hinduism to-day rages round

the character of Krishna.

He

has

many warm

adherents

amongst educated Hindus. Many regard him as the Supreme Being who, in his wondrous condescension, mingled in the affairs of human life, and naturally their one endeavour is to

and

try to explain away and account for the stories of sensuality libertinism which stain the fair name of their deity in

the authoritative records of Hinduism.

The defence
zeal

of

Krishna

is

being carried on with great

The great point emphasized is that the loves of Krishna and the Gopis are given in terms of physical love because this is the only available means a poet or writer
ability.

and

has of representing divine love. Just as in the Song of Solomon the lover has been supposed by some to typify Christ, and the loving woman the Church, so every incident
1

Religions of India, p. 174.

KRISHNA, THE HINDU APOLLO

of

141

an amorous character

in the life of

Krishna should be
his

spiritualised.

The
is

licentious loves of

Radha and
:

many
and

other mistresses
full

idealised into spiritual union with

surrender to the Divine Being.

Krishna says

"

Fix thy mind upon Me, be

Sacrifice to

my

devotee,

And thou

me, prostrate thyself before Me shalt come even to Me. I pledge thee my Troth, thou art dear to Me, Renouncing all Dharmas (religions), come to me alone Sorrow not, I will liberate thee from all sins."

for shelter,

the incidents mentioned above His stealing the milkmaids' clothes and making them come out of the water to beg them from him is symbolical of the utter nakedness and humility of the soul before God, but surely the lesson could have been taught without such immodesty True, he exhibited an appearance of " " " excessive amatoriness, but it was all Maya or illusion," he was pure and chaste in reality. He danced the Rasa or circular dance with the milkmaids, and such was his power of reduplication that each imagined herself to be dancing with him alone this is carefully explained, that he divided
are treated
! :

In this

way one by one

himself out of his kindness of heart to remove the deficiency of partners, so that none of the maidens should feel hurt by

had

The 16,100 wives that he married when he husband Bhun, the five-headed Asura (or is demon), disposed of in a wondrous manner by saying that Krishna was devoted to music and that there are 16,100 different musical modes or modulations to be obtained from
being omitted.
slain

their

a five-stringed native musical instrument typified by the

five-headed Bhun.

The fact is that the educated classes of modem Hinduism have undertaken an exceedingly difficult task. They have
to explain, in the light of the higher morality of the present day, the bacchanalian revels, inebriation, sensual love, the
erotic

gambols which have become an

essential part of the

legend of their national ideal, Krishna, and they can only explain and attempt to justify them esoterically. These

142

THE GODS OF INDIA

in its relation to the

amorous adventures represent, they say, the Supreme Soul human. The milkmaids and his numerous

paramours are the various witis or modifications of the human mind, and Krishna is the supreme self in whom all
find perfect satisfaction and their ultimate rest. With every desire to be scrupulously fair in our treatment
of this difficult

and complex character we are compelled to

:

point out in conclusion

m which he
is

The deplorable moral evils resulting from the widespread worship of so immoral a deity. The greater part of the licence and looseness of some types of present-day Hinduism centres round the names of Krishna, &va, and Kali, but particularly that of Krishna, The most popular picture of Krishna the one
is

so indecent in character that

it

depicted sitting on the clothes of the milkmaids it cannot be presented to

is

English eyes, yet

to be found in nearly every bazaar.

The most popular Krishna festival is called the Rasa, and is held to commemorate the dance of the god with these maidens. Youths dressed to represent Krishna and Radha dance
together, coarse jests are exchanged, revelry continues through the night, and only at daybreak does the crowd weary. Radha, Krishna's paramour, is deified by the Hindus. Her image is found in the temples by the side of Krishna and
his.

worshipped Indeed the act of looking at the two images together is said to be one of peculiar merit. Speaking of the profligacy of manners in Calcutta in days gone by a learned " pundit said: Every house contained a Krishna."
together with

Vallabhacharya, or Maharaj sect, betrays an unmistakable form the immoral tendencies of Krishna worship. The spiritual leaders of this sect have had the
in

sect called the

audacity to assert that they were themselves incarnations of the youthful Krishna and that worship is to be paid to them by their votaries in the full and untrammelled
gratification

of their passions and desires. Needless to say this has led to the grossest immorality and debauchery. This may be fairly said to be the characteristic

tendency of Krishna

worship.

KRISHNA

holding up lit

GOVARDDHANA

ou

his

KKlbHNA
i

finger to shelter hi?

with the wives of the seipeut

I

KALIYA

worshipper from the

wrofli

nfTHDRA

Seep

138)

THE BUDDHA OF BUDDHGAYI TEMPLE

BUDDHIST PRIESTS OUTSIDE PAGODA,

RANGOON

CHAPTER

VII

BUDDHA, THE ENLIGHTENED ONE

"

The

Lord Buddha

Scripture of the Saviour of the World, Prince Siddartha styled on earth

In Earth, and Heavens, and Hells, Incomparable,

All-honoured, Wisest, Best, most Pitiful
;

The Teacher

of

Nirvana and the Law."

Introduction to Arnold's Light of Asia.

SOMEWHERE between

the two

conceptions

of

Rama and

Krishna there appeared on the stage a man, greater than either of them, possibly the greatest of mortals that ever
trod the earth.
the son of a petty king, 1 and he

man has

left

Gautama Buddha was also of Warrior caste, was born about 560 B c. No a deeper impress on the mind of humanity. His
numbered by
millions,

followers are

and around

his

name

has sprung up a literature so voluminous that even to-day it has not all been traversed. It is found in Sanskrit, Pali,
Tibetan,

Burmese, Javanese, Siamese, Chinese, Mongolian,

It

and many other languages. His was a curious faith.

of the

was a revolt from the Hinduism

Brahmans.

It

aimed

at destroying caste, dethroning

the priesthood, ignoring the Vedas and other sacred writings, abolishing at once sacrifice and the gods to whom the sacrifices

were

offered.

On

its

constructive side
self-sacrifice,

it

held out the

highest ideal of morality

incentive

and

absorption into the deity.

promising as the Buddha became the

apostle of a passionless, hopeless

for

beyond Nirvana nothingness.

1

existence

was
"

extinction,

form of atheistic morality and beyond death was

vamtatis,

Vamtas

omnia vanitas."

This

is

questioned by some scholars,

143

144

GODS OF INDIA

The following account of the life of Buddha is taken from a Buddhist work called the Lalita-vistara, translated by Max
Miiller.
1
'

Buddha, or more correctly The Buddha/ for Buddha is an appelative meaning enlightened/ was born c. 560 B.C. at Kapilavastu, the capital of a kingdom of that name, situated at the foot of the mountains of Nepal, north of the present Province of Oudh. His father, the king of that the clan place, was of the family of Sakyas, and belonged to of the Gautamas. His mother was Mayadevi, daughter of King Suprabuddha, and need we say that she was beautiful, as he was powerful and just ? Buddha was therefore by birth of the Warrior (Kshatriya) caste, and he took the name of Sakya from his family, and that of Gautama from
* ' '

"

his clan.

The name of Buddha, or The Buddha/ dates from a later period of his life, and so probably does Siddhartha he whose objects have been accomplished '), though we are ('
told it "

was given him

in childhood,

His mother died seven days after his birth, and the father confided the child to the care of his deceased wife's sister, who however had been his wife even before the mother's death. The child grew up a most beautiful and most accomplished boy, who soon knew more than his masters could teach him. He refused to take part in the games of his playmates, and never felt so happy as when he could sit alone, lost in meditation in the deep shadows of the forest. It was there that his father found him when he had thought

him

and, in order to prevent the young prince from a dreamer, the king determined to marry him at becoming
lost
;

once. "

When the subject was mentioned by the aged ministers to the future heir to the throne, he demanded seven
for reflection, and, convinced at last that not

days even marriage

could disturb the calm of his mind, he allowed the ministers to look out for a princess. The princess selected was the
beautiful Gopa, the daughter of Daudapani.
1

Chips from a German Workshop, vol.

p.

210

at seq.

BUDDHA, THE ENLIGHTENED ONE

"

145

Though her father objected at first to her marrying a young prince who was represented to him as deficient in manliness and intellect, he gladly gave his consent when he saw the royal suitor distancing all his rivals in feats of arms and power of mind.
Their marriage proved one of the happiest, but the prince remained, as he had been before, absorbed in meditations on the problems of life and death. " 'Nothing is stable on earth/ he used to say ; nothing is real. Life is like the spark produced by the friction of
f

"

It is lighted and is extinguished we know not whence came, or whither it goes. It is like the sound of a lyre, and the wise man asks in vain from whence it came and whither

wood.
it

it

we can
if

could bring light to man I were free myself, I could deliver the world. "The king, who perceived the melancholy mood of the
If I

There goes. find rest.

must be some supreme

attained
it I

intelligence
1

where
;

from his specumost ordinary events that could happen to any man proved of the utmost importance in the career of Buddha. " One day, when the prince with a large retinue was driving through the eastern gate of the city on the way to one of his parks, he met on the road an old man, broken and decrepit. One could see the veins and muscles over the whole of his body his teeth chattered, he was covered with wrinkles, bald, and hardly able to utter hollow and unmelodious sounds. He was bent on his stick, and all his limbs and joints trembled, Who is this man ? said the prince to his coachman. He

young

lations,

prince, tried everything to divert him but all was in vain. Three of the

'

'

'

is

his blood are dried up, his muscles stick to his skin, his teeth chatter, his body is wasted

small

and weak,

his flesh

and

away

; leaning on his stick, he is hardly able to walk, stumbling at every step. Is there something peculiar in his family, or is this the common lot of all created beings ? * " Sir/ replied the coachman, that man is sinking under old age, his senses have become obscure, suffering has de'
'

stroyed his strength,

and he

is

despised

by

his relations.

146

THE GODS OF INDIA

is

He

doned him

without support and useless, and people have abanlike a dead tree in the forest. But this is not

peculiar to his family.

In every creature youth is defeated your father, your mother, all your relations, all your friends, will come to the same state this is the appointed end of all creatures/

by old age

"

'

Alas

so

weak and

replied the prince, are creatures so ignorant, foolish, as to be proud of the youth by which

'

they are intoxicated, not seeing the old age which awaits them ? As for me, I go away. Coachman, turn my chariot What am 1, the future prey of old age what have quickly
!

1 to

do with pleasure

And

the young prince returned

to the city without going to the park. "

Another time the prince was driving through the southern gate to his pleasure-garden, when he perceived on the road a man suffering from illness, parched with fever, his body
wasted, covered with mud, without a friend, without a home, hardly able to breathe, and frightened at the sight of himself and the approach of death. Having questioned his coach-

man, and received from him the answer which he expected, Alas the young prince said health is but the sport oi a dream, and the fear of suffering must take this frightful form. Where is the wise man, who, after having seen what he
'
: !

is,

could any longer think of joy and pleasure prince turned his chariot and returned to the city.

'

The

" third time he was driving to his pleasure-garden through the western gate, when he saw a dead body on the road, lying on the bier and covered with a cloth. The friends

stood about crying, sobbing, tearing their hair, covering their heads with dust, striking their breasts, and uttering wild The prince, again calling his coachman to witness cries.
this painful scene,

exclaimed Oh, woe to youth, which Woe to health, which must must be destroyed by old age Woe to this life, where be destroyed by so many diseases a man must remain for so short a time Then, betraying
:

'

Let time his intentions, the young prince said us turn back, 1 must think how to accomplish deliverance/
for the first
:

BUDDHA, THE ENLIGHTENED ONE

"A
last

147

meeting put an end to his meditation. He was driving through the northern gate on the way to his pleasuregarden, when he saw a mendicant, who appeared outwardly calm, subdued, looking downwards, wearing with an air of

and carrying an alms-bowl. asked the prince. " this man is one oi those Sir/ replied the coachman, who are called bhiksh^is or mendicants He has renounced all pleasures, all desires, and leads a life of austerity. He tries to conquer himself. He has become a devotee. Without passion, without envy, he walks about asking for alms.
dignity his religious vestment,
"
'

Who

is

this

man

'

'

"

life

well said/ replied the prince. The of a devotee has always been praised by the wise. It

'This

is

good and

'

will

be

my

refuge,

and the
life,

will lead

us to a real

It refuge of all other creatures. to happiness and immortality/

With these words the young prince turned

his chariot

and

returned to the city. " Alter having declared to his father and his wife his intention of retiring from the world, Buddha left his palace one night when all the guards that were to have watched him were asleep. After travelling the whole night, he gave his horse and his ornaments to his groom, and sent him back to Kapilavastu. 'A monument/ remarks the author of
to be seen on the spot where the Hiouen Thsang, a Chinese pilgrim who visited India 629-648 A,D saw the same monument at the edge of a large forest, on his road to Kusmagara, a city now in ruins, and situated over fifty miles E.N.E. from

the Lahta-Vistara,

'is still

coachman turned back/

Gorakhpur.

Buddha first went to Vaisali, and became the pupil of a famous Brahman, who had gathered round him 300 disciples. Having learnt all that the Brahman could leach him, Buddha went away disappointed. He had not found the road to He then tried another Brahman at Rajagirha, salvation.
the capital of Magadha, or Behar, there, too, he looked in vain for
left

"

him, followed by five of his

who had 700 disciples, and means of deliverance. He fellow-students, and for six

148

GODS OF INDIA

near

years retired into solitude near a village named Uruvilva, Buddh Gaya, subjecting himself to the most severe
penances, previous to his appearing in the world as a teacher. At the end of this period, however, he arrived at the con-

from giving peace of mind and preparing the way to salvation, was a snare and a stumblingblock in the way of truth. He gave up his exercises, and
viction that asceticism, far

was at once deserted as an apostate by his five disciples. Left to himself, he now began to elaborate his own system. He had learned that neither the doctrines, nor the austerities of the Brahmans were of any avail for accomplishing the deliverance of man, and of freeing him from the fear of old After long meditations and ecstatic age, disease, and death. visions, he at last imagined that he had arrived at the true knowledge which discloses the cause, and thereby destroys the fear, of all the changes inherent in life, and sang this song
of triumph
:

'Through countless buths have I wandered, seeking but not discovering the maker of this my mortal dwelling-house, and still again and again have birth and pain returned. Now at length art Thou disco\ ered, thou builder of this house. No longer shalt Thou rear a
house
of
for me. Rafters and beams are shattered, and with destruction DESIRE (tanha) deliverance from repeated life is gained at last.'

Buddha hesitated for a time whether he should keep his knowledge to himself or communicate it to the world. At that moment we may truly say that the fate of millions of millions of human beings trembled in the balance. Compassion for the sufferings of man prevailed, and the young prince became the founder of a religion which, after two thousand years, is still professed by many millions of people. " Buddha then turned his steps to Benares, 1 where he met
his five

"

former disciples and explained to them his

new

beliefs

in his

first

sermon

'There are two extremes, recluses, which he who has gone forth ought not to follow the habitual practice on the one hand of those
:

Here the narrative

of the Lalita-Vistara closes.

ONE
things whose attraction depends
especially

149

upon the pleasures of sense, and sensuality (a practice low and pagan^ fit only for the woi Idly-minded, unworthy and of no abiding profit) and the habitual
;

practice,

on the other hand, of self-mortification (a practice painful, unworthy and of no abiding profit). There is a Middle Way a path which opens the eyes and bestows understanding, which leads to
peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to
Nirvana.'
full

enlightenment, to

"The
(1)
(2)
(3)

four noble truths winch

:

Buddha claimed

to

have

discovered are

Existence

is suffering.

The desire of existence is the origin of suffering. The destruction of this desire of existence is the destruction of suffering.

(4)

The noble
is
:

eightfold path to the destruction of suffering

Right Faith, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Living, Right Effort, Right Thought,

Right Meditation.
"

On hearing

the

first

to join him,

his teaching his five former disciples were and within five months ol his arrival

at Benares he

together, he sent
*

had no less than sixty followers. them out to proclaim the new

Calling them doctrine

:

Go ye

now,

out of compassion for the world, for the welfare of gods

Bhikshus, and wander for the gain of the many, and men.'

"After this Buddha went about teaching and preaching

tor forty-five years, spending his time largely at his friend the King of Magadha's capital, Rajagirha, and at Sravasti,

the capital of the King of Kosala, who became a convert. At the end of this time he was attacked by a serious and
painful illness.
*

Turning to a disciple he said

I

Ananda,

am now grown

old and

full

of years,

my journey

is

drawing to its close, I am turning eighty years of age, and so, just as a worn-out cart, this body, with only much additional care, can be made to move along. Therefore, O Ananda, be lamps unto yourHold fast to the truth as a lamp. Look not for refuge to selves.

anyone besides yourselves/

150
"

THE GODS OF INDIA

His
last

words to

his disciples
I

were

Behold now brethren,

things.

all

component

Work

exhort you saying, Decay is inherent in out, with diligence, your own perfec-

tions.'

"

Shortly afterwards he became unconscious

:

and passed

away

Unto Nirvana.
Yet
lives not.

He is one with Life, He is blest ceasing to

be.
slips

Om, mani padme,

Om
!

'

The Dewdrop

Into the shining sea

J1 "

lasting influence

So passed one who, for good or ill, has left a deep and on the lives of millions of the human race.
is

There

much

that fascinates

and much

to admire in the

character of
is

He as described in Buddhist writings, in Indian the character history. unquestionably grandest

Buddha
in

Deeply

sympathy with human needs, he sought, according

to the measure of light granted to him, with unwearied diligence to benefit his fellow-creatures and supply an answer to

the problems of

life.

All this should not blind us to the

fatal defects of his system.

discuss the doctrines of the systems of religion

This book does not attempt to India, but

we may be permitted

to close this account with the

words

of a famous Buddhist scholar, Professor Oldenburg of Berlin,

who

characterises

faith without

delivers

Buddhism as a proud attempt to create a a God, to conceive a deliverance in which man If Hinduism is God without himself." morality,

"

is morality without God and therein lies its inherent weakness and the cause of its decline in the world

Buddhism

to-day.
1

Arnold's Light of Asia.

A TEMPLE BATH OB

CAB.

This cai is used to carry the idol in procession through the town. An umbrella, the insignia of royalty in the East, is seen above the canopy The ropes for di awing the cat are already giasped by the devotees Note the "V" shaped mailc in the ceutie of the canopy (See p 96 for explanation of this sign j

BALBADRA, SUBHADRA, and JAG \NNiTH, (older

ll( l

left

to

u^

1H

>,

nt

>

/;,,,

|t

]MCII

lm

//|s

/W(/

CHAPTER

VIII

JAGANNATH, LORD OF THE WORLD

"

thousand pilgrims strain

breast, and thigh, and might and To drag that sacred wain, And scarce can draw along the enormous load,

Arm, shoulder,

mam

Prone

fall

the frantic votaries on

its

road,

And, calling on their god,

Their self-devoted bodies there they lay

To pave

his chariot

way

On Jagannath

they call-"

SOUTHEY, Curse of KeJianna.

JAGANNATH'S image

is

repulsively

representation can scarcely be out of proportion to the rest of

ugly-a more gruesome imagineda head altogether

body, huge goggle eyes, no
of arms,
is

its

legs, no hands, only the stumps is so highly considered that he

And

yet this deity

not reckoned an Avatara

(descent) of Vishnu, but a manifestation of

Vishnu himself,

and

not, as in the case of

Rama and

Krishna, an incarnation

of only a portion of his essence.

The
deity
is

great shrine

and

special centre for the worship of this

at Puri in Orissa, one of the seven most sacred places

in all India,

This temple has an interesting history. It no connection with Vishnu. It was built on originally the site of an ancient Buddhist shrine, where the tooth of

had

Buddha was kept before its removal to Ceylon. It is possible that when the famous tooth was removed, the image of some called Jagannath local divinity took its place, and this image
was presently admitted into the Hindu Pantheon as another manifestation of Vishnu. Whatever may be the
origin of the

image there are too

151

many

indications of the

152
influence of

THE GODS OF INDIA

Buddha
at Puri to doubt the original connection

of the place with

Buddhism.
Baij Nath) contributes
:

A
"

Hindu (Laia

an interesting note

on the temple at Puri The temple

of Jagannath

is

not mentioned in the older

Hindu

Sastras, nor even in the Puranas, though attempts have been made to trace the institution to the Vedas. The place seems from all accounts

an adaptation of Buddhism or aktism, or both, to Vaishnavism, There is nothing to correspond to the images of Jagannath, Balbhadra, and Subhadra in any of the Sastras, nor is that absence of caste restriction and freedom in the matter of eating and drinking, which
to be

forms such a unique feature of that temple, recognised elsewhere. The temple at Puri dates only from the twelfth century, and the first

mention of Jagannath is in the fouith century. When I visited the place 1 tried to find out some more historical facts connected with the institution, but could not do so, And yet it is a wonderful
both for its wealth, its grandeur, and its hold on the minds I do not think it is an adaptation of any non-Aryan On the contrary, from the fact that Durga has institution or deity. to be first worshipped in the temple before you can see the great God, it appears that the worship is borrowed from Sakta sources. The absence of caste distinction also points to the same conclusion.
institution,

of the people.

It is visited by lacs of people every year. The income of the estimated at 4 or 5 lacs a year (a lac is 6666) from landed property, but the offerings of pilgrims make it thrice as much more. It has a staff of 60,000 The Raja of Pun is its priests and servants,

"...

temple

is

hereditary sweeper."

The strange, unfinished state of the image is explained by the following legend. When Krishna was accidentally shot by Jara, the hunter, his bones were collected by some devotee and placed in a box. It happened that Indrahumma, a king who was earnestly striving to propitiate Vishnu, was directed by that deity to form an image and place Krishna's bones inside it with the assurance that if he did so he would afterwards be richly rewarded. The king asked Visvakarma, the artificer to the gods, to help him in the preparation of this image. This he was ready to agree to do, but he made

"

him

the stipulation that if anyone looked at him, or disturbed before the twenty-one days required to finish the work

JAGANNATH, LORD OF THE

153

were over, he would immediately desist. The king consented to this condition, but his curiosity was too strong, and after fifteen days of waiting he opened the door of the
peared,

room where the image was. The heavenly artisan disapand the result is the present ugly ill-shaped deity
resident at Puri.
is

now
there
11

On one

side of the idol

Jagannath

an image of Krishna's favourite brother Balarama, and his sister Subhadra is seen between the two." I One peculiarity of the worship of this deity is that the
image
view.
shrine,
is

of doors,

not only worshipped in the temple, but is taken out and for three days in the year is exposed to public On the first of these days the idol Is taken from its

and on a lofty platform, in sight of vast multitudes, bathed by the priests. This exposure is supposed to be productive of a cold, and for a fortnight it is taken to the sick chamber where it is carefully tended. After this a change of air is believed to be beneficial, so the image is placed on an immense car and taken to pay a visit to the temple of another This car is drawn by the worshippers through the god.
is
' 5

In olden days devotees may people. have voluntarily laid down in the pathway of the car, or have fallen under the car by pressure from the enormous crowds around it. Unless such a practice did take place it is difficult to account for the tradition of bloodshed that has gathered round the Rath Jattra (Car Festival). After waiting a few days the Return Festival is held, and the Lord of the is once again dragged back World for so his name reads " to his home.' 2 To see the image cleanses from all sin, but
excited crowds of
'
'

considerable

religious

merit

is

obtained

by

assisting

in

Many large Bengal towns and villages dragging the car. keep these cars, and hold a yearly festival in honour of the god
of the great temple at Puri is given by the well-known travellers, Dr. and Mrs. W. Hunter

when the cars are used. The following account

:

Workman
"
1

Early accounts of the god are vague, and later ones

Wilkms,
p. 252.
2

Ibid., p. 253.

154
conflicting,

THE GODS OF INDIA

but reliable authorities seem to agree that the

origin of the three images seen at Puri is Buddhist. The Buddhist wheel and monogram as seen at Sanchi suggest the
of Jagannath, Balarama, and seems probable that when Hinduism supplanted Buddhism a Hindu temple was built on the site of the old Buddhist one, and the emblems lound in the ancient shrine were taken as models for the present Vaishnava gods.

form

of the

wooden images

Subhadra.

It

Certainly these
deities

wooden blocks more

for,

closely resemble

Buddhist

than the familiar

life,

leads a busy

Jagannath outside the special festivals, he has

deities of

Hinduism.

and put to bed, besides by temple attendants. Each meal is concluded with music and dancing in the hall of the temple, and this means the maintenance by the temple of a large number of dancing girls, stated to be one hundred and twenty.
11

daily to be bathed, dressed, undressed, presiding at four meals served him

Pilgrims are taught

of,

it is

and carry away with them, portions

of vital importance to partake of the specially con-

secrated food served to the god. From the sale of this food a large revenue is derived. The pilgrim who eats this food is absolved irom the direst sin. no

Jagannath recognises

caste,

and any orthodox Hindu, whatever be his caste, may discard all restrictions and eat the consecrated food with Hindus of other castes. Here, again, we trace the influence of Buddhism. " Whatever it may have been in the beginning, the worship of Jagannath has now become a business which furnishes employment to thousands ol attendants. At festival time
the railway stated that
is

taxed to

its fullest

capacity.

A railway official
of tickets

more than 300,000 rupees worth

had

100,000 pilgrims are at priests are required to officiate, many attendants to direct the movements of the multitude, and many cooks to prepare their food. " In addition to those employed in, and around the temple it is said that agents are sent to all parts of India to induce pious Hindus to make the pilgrimage. These agents inform

been issued in a single day. times assembled, many

When

JAGANNATH, LORD OF THE WORLD

155

themselves carefully as to the pecuniary circumstances of their intended victims, and approach only those who are

wealthy or well-to-do.
the names of those

The information thus gathered, and

who agree to go, are forwarded to the temple priests, who thus know what demands they can make on the purses of the devotees when they arrive.
''When the temple is reached it is a question of rupees whether the pilgrim beholds Jagannath from near or from far, or indeed at all He is told that the sight of the god
cleanseth from
all sin, and the nearer the view of the god the greater the efficacy of the His privileges are pilgrimage. regulated by the amount of means known to be at his disposal. But to obtain even an ordinary view he must pay a good

round sum If he has not the sum demanded with him in money, he is required to sign a bond lor it binding on him and his descendants, which is collected to the last anna.

Many
of

generations

a Hindu family has been impoverished for several by the drain thus created by the religious fervour

an ancestor.

by^icerongs^who ornaments and towers The glare of the sunlight on its white-washed exterior so dazzles their eyes that when they reach the interior and look into the sanctuary they can see nothing They are told this inability to see is caused by their
sin-laden conscience,

"Deception is also practised. A pilgrim, on entering the East or Lion gate, is required to walk round the temple from the left, six or seven times. In going round, pilgrims are attended direct their attention to its outer

"For a sum

of five

and the usual demand follows. hundred to five thousand rupees a

special permit is given allowing the pilgrim to go into the inner sanctum where the god is, all others being excluded. " The story of the Calcutta Raja is typical. Having seen

nothing at his

purged
temple.

of sin

he was reminded that he must be do something substantial for the and by prayer He thereupon prayed for a day and a night, and
first visit

promised, should he see the god, to make at his own expense a metalled road from Cuttack to Puri, and build rest houses

156

THE GODS OF INDIA

and dispensaries for pilgrims at various points. On being taken again, this time without circumambulation of the temple, into the sanctum, he beheld the god in all his beauty. He kept his promise at the cost of several lakhs of rupees, and to him we owe the excellent road from Cuttack to
Pun."

CHAPTER IX
KAMADEVA, THE %INDU CUPID
"

He
He

With

bends the luscious cane, and twists the string but ah how keen the bees, how sweet sting with five flow'rets tips his ruthless darts,
S !

'

Which through

five senses pierce

enraptured hearts." Extract from Bnj Sonnet.

ACCORDING
and the
that

to the Vedas, Desire

of'

Is

said to

have been the

first

outflow of the act

creation, the primal germ of the mind,

Little

origin of all subsequent action.

wonder then

Kamadeva, the god

of love,

who

excites desire, should

be highly esteemed among the Hindus. He is generally regarded as the son of Vishnu and Lakshml in their incarnations as

Krishna and Rukmini, but some accounts represent him as springing from the heart of Brahma. The former
" " the most probable, for Lakshmi is the Sakti of and so is the agent for preservation, regarded as the general which unites in love all animated principle of
descent
is

attraction^

beings,

and glve^-cgfierence to the atoms

of the physical

world.

/^'represented as a beautiful youth

Kama is
and arrows.

armed with bow

sugar cane strung with a line of honey bees, and each arrow is tipped with a beautiful flower. He rides on a parrot, attended by_Apsaras, or heavenly
is of

The bow

nymphs of great beauty, over whom he rules. One bears before him his banner, on which is the device of a fish mounted
on a red ground,

He

goddess of affection,

is accompanied by Rati, his wife, the and with him go to escort him in his,

bee,

wanderings through the three worlds -the cuckoo, thehumraing and the gentle breezes. His greatest friend is Vasatria
His victims
157

or Spring personified, denoting love's season,

158

THE GODS OF INDIA

"
:

are thus addressed

May Kama, having

well directed the

arrow which

is

winged with pain, barbed with longing, and

pierce thee to the heart

has desire for

its shaft,

"

This dread god, owing to the far-reaching operation of the passion he inspires, and its mysterious origin, has accumulated a number of names. He is called " the destroyer of

the bewilderesr," the lamp of spring," "the crackil t! the teacher of the world," the stalk of passion," ling fire," " " he whose arrows are flowers," who intoxicates with love/
peace/'
5

"

"

"

who conquers

all."

Many

stones are told of him.

He was

destroyed by a

burst of flame from Siva's third eye, because he wounded the god while wrapped in meditation and devotion, and
life and fall in love with Poor Siva, though he burnt up Kama, had received his arrow in the heart. The Vamana Purana 2 gives

caused him to forsake his ascetic

Parvati.

a lengthy account of his sufferings, from which we extract the " The wounded god could find no rest. He threw following himself into the Kalindi river, but the waters were dried up
:

and changed into blackness, and ever since, its dark stream, though holy, has flowed through the forest like the black He wandered from string that binds a maiden's hair." hermitage to hermitage, but was ill at ease. The hermits wives from the forest of Daruvanam followed him from
5

place

to place,

and

their

of his strength.

husbands cursed &va, and deprived him At last he had to yield to the invincible

passion,

and

returned, conquered

by

love, to

marry Parvati.

Great was the grief of Rati on the death of the god of Love. She entreated Parvati to intercede with &va to restore him to life. Parvati told her how her wish would be

He would be born again as the son of Krishna Rati became a servant in the house, and when the child was born she tended him with the greatest care, being fascinated by his beauty. Her affection deepened into passion as the
gratified.
!

child

advanced

to
1

youth and manhood.

Kama

observed

Atharva-Veda, in 25. Kennedy's Hindu Mythology.

KAMADEVA,
this

HINDU CUPID

159

and said

"
:

Why do you indulge in feelings so unbecoming

? "thinking that she who for so long had cared for him must be his mother, To which she " Thou art no son of mine, thou art the son of replied Krishna.' Krishna, when appealed to, agreed to this, and gave Kama the handmaid Rati to be his wife. So Rail re1 joiced in receiving her husband Kama again.
:

the character of a mother

Even the great Buddha Kamadeva. The incident Sir Edwin Arnold 2
"

is
is

said to

have been tempted by

pictured in glowing verse

by

Next there drew

Gallantly nigh a brave Tempter, he, Kama, the King of passions, who hath sway Over the gods themselves, Lord of all loves,

Laughing he came Unto the tiee, bearing his bow of gold Wreathed with red blooms, and arrows of desire
Ruler of Pleasure's realm.

The

Pointed with five-tongued delicate flame, which stings heart it smites sharper than poisoned barb
:

And icund him came

Bands

into that lonely place

lips

of bright shapes with heavenly eyes and Singing in lovely words the praise of Love To music of invisible s\*eet chorcls,

So witching, that it seemed the night stood still To hear them, and the listening stais an^d moon Paused in their orbits,"

No images are made to represent Kamadeva in Bengal, but at the time of marriage, when a wife leaves her father's house to go to her husbanoVs for the first time petitions arc addressed to this god for happiness in the married state and A festival is held in Kama's honour on the I3th offspring.
and I4th
of

March, on which occasion the following verses

are chanted

God of the flowery bow hail, wainoi, with a fish on thy I. Hail banner; hail, powerful Divinity, who causeth the firmness of the sage to foisake him, and subduest the guardian deities of the eight
! :

regions
-

"Wilkms,

Hindu Mythology, p. 159. Light of Asia, p. 1 66.

THE GODS OF INDIA

O Mara Thou foe of them son of Madhava Glory be to thee, who lovest the goddess Rati who springest from the heart to him who is formed as the to Kama 3. Glory be to Mad ana God of gods; to him by whom Brahma, Vishnu, 5iva, and Indra are
2.

O Kamadeva
!

Sambara

filled
4.

with emotions of rapture May all my mental cares be

!
!

removed

all

my

corporeal

sufferings terminate

May

the object of

my

soul be attained,

and

my

felicity

continue for ever. 1

1

Moor, Hindu Pantheon,

p. 451.

CHAPTER X
CHAITANYA, THE MENDICANT GOD
"
I

choose

To

tread

its

Making

its

paths with patient stainless feet, dust my bed, its loneliest wastes

My
Of

dwelling,

and

its

meanest things

my

mates.

This will I do because the woeful cry

life

and

all flesh living

cometh up
world
"
of

Into

my ears,

and

all

my soul is full
of this

Of pity for the sickness

ARNOLD'S Light

Asm, p

106.

THIS incarnation
that of Krishna,

of

Vishnu

is of

great interest because, like

we can
is

trace the

means by which a human

Chaitanya's principal

being came

to be regarded as divine.

centre of worship

Nadiya

in Bengal,

and

it is

a singular

fact that at his shrine there is

of

whom

a very small image of Krishna, he was a disciple and apostle, whilst the image of
is

Chaitanya

large
his

and

conspicuous.

The

Hindus

who

divinity form a large community about acknowledge entire the one-fifth of population of Bengal. These declare

that amongst the

many

incarnations of Vishnu four are

^

incarnation

red

Kajjdaj^
One
of the

anlilireryeHow Chaitanya,

two masters (Prabhus)'of the sect of which most illustrious member was a Brahman, was the Chaitanya lived at Santipore in Bengal. Another who named Adaitya,
leader,

named Nityananda, was born

in the district of

Bkachakra,
Chaitanya.

at a village named Bjrbhum, a short time before

The god himself was born

and died

at

Pun

in 1527.

in A.D. 1484 at Nadiya, His father was a Brahman named

Jagannath Misra, and his mother's name was Suchi, first son, Visvarupa, became a religious mendicant.
161

Their

162

GODS OF INDIA

When their second son, Chaitanya, was born, his mother was advanced in years. Consequently the child was very weak, and continued for three days without taking the breast. In accordance with the cruel custom that then prevailed, his parents hung him out in a basket suspended to a branch of a tree to die. Adaitya, happening to pass at the time, and
imagining that the child thus exposed might be the incarnation of the deity that he was expecting and had foretold, wrote with his toe on the soft earth under the tree the incantation

employed

in the initiation of a disciple into the

teries of

Hari Krishna Hari Krishna Krishna-worship Hari Rama Krishna, Krishna, Han, Hari ; Hari Rama Rama, Rama, Hari, Hari." The mother, greatly impressed
:

"

mys; ;

by this act, lifted the child from the tree, who immediately took kindly to his food and showed signs of vigour and
strength.

Chaitanya as a youth made great progress in learning. twice, first at the age of eleven a girl named Lakshmi, and on her early decease he married when sixteen years of age Vishnupnya, with whom he lived till he was " he felt moved to the heart twenty-four years of age, when " was constrained to renounce the distresses of mankind and by

He married

his poita

(Brahmanical thread) and join the ascetic

life.

This

was a great act of self-renunciation as at one stroke he lost his high position as a Brahman. Leaving his home, his parents, and wife, he spent the next six years as a Bairagi
(wandering Sad.hu) travelling
acquiring followers, of his lord Krishna.
doctrines,
all

over India teaching his

and extending the worship

Like most such holy men he eventually reached Benares and there he converted to his faith the chief pundit of the He called his place, Prakashananda, and many others. disciples Vaishnavas (i.e. followers of Vishnu) and gave them
as their initiatory rite the incantation already quoted. Many of his teachings are opposed to orthodox Hinduism, yet in His success may be spite of this he made many disciples.

traced to his extraordinary fervour

and

his love for

men.

CHAITANYA,
He preached
(Krishna).
(viz.

MENDICANT GOD

163

causeless or utterly unselfish love to Vishnu "Worship," he said, "from interested motives
sin)

the attainment of happiness, or the expiation of

was not worship at all, but shopkeeping barter." Self" sacrifice was also urged with passionate insistence. A man must attain the nature of a tree, which lives solely for the benefit of others, before he can become a true worshipper." The chief tenets of his faith were
:

The disregard of caste distinctions regards neither tribe nor family." 2. Emphasis was laid on the mendicant life.
1.

"

mercy

of

God

3. His followers must as a means of God-realisation honour Vishnu in his incarnation of Krishna, using in their prayers a rosary made from the wood of the Tulsai-tree (Holy Basil) " sacred to Vishnu. He also recommended Radha worship and taught that the best form of devotion was that which
1 Radha, as the beloved mistress of Krishna felt for him." 4. They must exercise Bhakh (i.e. fervent devotion founded upon implicit faith) in Krishna as the only means of salvation.

This devotion contains five degrees of intensity (i) quiet (2) service, the devotion contemplation of the deity (sank)
:

(dasva) ; (3) friendship to him (sakhya) ; (4) love to him resembling the love of children to their parents (vdtsalya) ; (5) passionate attachment, as of a girl to her lover, or as the Go pis felt for Krishna (madhurya)

of a servant to his master

advance of his times as a social reformer. Chaitanya was allowed widows remarriage, and he forbade the drinking of intoxicants, and the eating of fish and flesh, and the offering of animal sacrifices, and included a prohibition to his disciples to hold no fellowship with those who offered such sacrifices. " The bacchanalian orgies of the Tantncs," writes a Bengali, 2

He

and their worship of a shamefully exposed female provoked the abhorrence of Chaitanya and roused his energy to remove the deep blots upon the national character. He commenced his labours by holding meetings of his immediate
1

"

'

'

Bhattacharjee, Hindu Castes and Sects, p. 469. Travels of a Hindu, by Bholanath Clmnder, pp. 29-30.

164
friends.

THE GODS OF INDIA

At these meetings be expounded the life and acts Passages in the Bhagavat which everyone under-

of Krishna.

stood in a

literal sense, he construed figuratively, and, by striking upon the emotional cord of our nature, he thought of putting down sensualism by sentiment. In a little while

hundreds and gathered around him a body of disciples." His great doctrine was Bhaktt, 1 and it is a curious coincidence that Martin Luther preached salvation by faith in Europe about the time that Chaitanya in Bengal was giving prominence to a very similar doctrine. He spent the last
his enthusiasm affected

eighteen years of his life at Pun, the great shrine of Jagannath, where he proclaimed his doctrines to the many pilgrims who visited the place. " But this was not his only occupation. He insisted on the importance of singing (sankzrtana)

and dancing, as well as of contemplation, to fit the mind for ecstatic communion with the deity, and his followers often swooned away in their fits of religious emotion." 2 His excitable, neurotic, emotional temperament led him into many vagaries, and at times to actual insanity. Oman says that he had many of the characteristics of what may be called to-day "the higher degenerates." He imagined he saw visions of Krishna and his attendant Gopis, and terminated
by walking into the sea in one of these fits of ecstasy to join Krishna sporting with the maidens in the waves. Chaitanya before his disappearance gained many adherents
his life

and honours. The independent King of Orissa became his disciple and not the least of his honours was the boon the gods
granted to him, so the popular legend runs, of four additional arms (additional limbs are always a sign of a god's increase

power and reputation among the Hindus). As Chaitanya no issue, Adaitya and Nityananda, his Brahman coadjutors, became, on his death, the great leaders of the new faith. They remained some years in Benares following the
of
left

religious

life,

but afterwards returned to a secular

1

life.

Their

See previous page and p. 7. Monier Williams, Hinduism,

p. 147.

SIVA, PARVATI,

AND GANESHA
Mt Kailasa

SIVA,

THE DESTROYER

SIVA
in

is

represented as seared on

He grasps

Note the necklace of human skulls and the snake, lepieseutneck and the nvei Ganges ing Eteiual Time coiled lound his
flmving fiom Irs haii

one hind the Trident, sign of the august Hindu Triad

MA

GANCtA appeiis fiom

his

ban

See p 177

foi

explana-

See p

177

ioi

full

descuption

tion of all details

CHAITANYA,

MENDICANT GOD

165

descendants to-day are greatly respected and acknowledged as the spiritual heads of the community. They are called
Gossains,

and are very wealthy.

Some

of

them derive a

large revenue from the marriage of low castes, and from the estates of all disciples who die intestate. This revenue is also derived from the estates of immoral women who
profess the religion of Chaitanya in order to be entitled to funeral rites, as by their conduct and life they have excom-

municated themselves from orthodox Hinduism. The image of Chaitanya is that of an almost naked mendicant painted
1

yellow.
1 Extracted mainly from Wilkins' Hindu Mythology, pp, 253-6; and Ward's. Hindoos, pp. 134-7.)

CHAPTER XI
SIVA,
"

THE DESTROYER; AND PANCHANANA

King
ol Dread,
,

Is thai the

\Vith ashy, musing face

From whose moon -silvered

locks

famed Ganga springs

Sir

"

WM.

JONES.

"

god of the sensuous fire That moulds all nature in forms divine The symbols of death and of man's desire, The springs of change in the world are mine The organs of birth and the circlet of bones, And the light loves carved on the temple stones.
1
,
;

am the

"

am

the lord ot delights and pain,

killeth, of fruitful joys
,

Of the pest that

I

rule the currents of heart

and vein

In the heat and cold of

Is the

touch gives passion, a look destroys my lightest breath

;

might incarnate of Lust and Death."

-Sir ALFRED LYALL.

f>

Thine are these orbs oi light and shade Thou madest Life in man and brute Thou madest Death and lo Thy foot " Is on the skull which Thou hast made
;

TENNYSON, In Memonam.

THE

Hindu Triad is the perThe work of creation and preservation being undertaken it was necessary to provide an
third of the great gods of the
sonification of destruction.

agent for that of disintegration or destruction, as things created are by an inexorable law liable to decay and dissolution.

generally worshipped represents in a rude

Strange to relate the emblem by which this god is and unattractive

of re-creation

form the forces

and re-production.
16G

For Hindu

IVA
philosophy, untinged being or annihilation.

AND PANCHANANA
by Buddhism, excludes the

l7
idea of non-

and inexorable.

Siva therefore represents Time, endless Death itself is only a turning of the glass of

Time, a rearrangement of indestructible atoms, and a gateway from one court of Life to another. To destroy, therefore, is
practically to recreate,

and Death stands at the gates of Life. Hence the name given to the agent of destruction is Siva, " the " the Propitious." Bright and Shining One/' The worship of Siva is alluded to by Megasthenes and must therefore date back to a period earlier than Buddhism

To gain for him (600 B.C ), but it is unknown in the Vedas. greater reverence the Brahmans have connected him with " " the Vedic god, Rudra, which name means roarer or
howler." Rudra is a storm deity whose chief function is that of directing and controlling the rage of the hurricane. As god of the gale or tempest he is the father of the Maoris, the destructive storm-winds. In this character he is closely
"

connected with the Rain-god Indra, and

still

more

so with

Agni which as an agent of destruction,

like the roaring tempest.

He

is

rages and crackles also nearly related to Time

fire,

(Kala), the all-consumer, and afterwards becomes identified with him. He is the awful being whose thousand shafts bring

death or disease to
1
' '

men and

cattle

In the Yajur-Veda a

(with our worship) the god who has horses, reverence be to him. Do not hurl at be not incensed at us, Pasupati us thy harrow, thy celestial bolt reverence to thee. Brandish thy celestial arrow over some other than avoid us be not angry with us us. Slay us not intercede for us Do not covet our cattle, our men, our let us not contend with thee. Fierce god, betake thyself elsewhere, slay the offgoats and sheep.

We

approach

first

is

dark, black, destroying

assail us, Rudra, with consumpspring of the wicked (v. 26). Do not tion or with poison or with celestial fire cause this lightning to descend elsewhere than upon us (v. 29). Slay neither our great nor our small,
;

neither our have offered this reverence to Rudra s wide-mouthed howling dogs who swallow Reverence, O deity, to thy shouting, longtheir prey unchewed. haired, devouring hosts. May blessing and security be ours."
neither

him who

father,

nor our mother

carries (?) nor those \\ho shall carry injure not, Rudra, ourselves.
, }

('),

Atharva-Veda,

xi. 2,

18

168

THE GODS OF INDIA

is

hymn

addressed to Rudra, and in

It

he

is

described, with

that confusion of ideas that characterises

Hindu thought, in As a killer and incongruous aspects. contradictory many and a deliverer, as both tall and dwarfish, he dwells in mountains and owns troops of servants, spirits, who traverse the
earth obeying his orders. He is lord of ghosts and goblins, patron of thieves and robbers, and is himself one of them. He also is a benevolent and auspicious being who heals while he destroys. He is the master of life as of death.

Most

Intensified in Siva,

of these characteristics are continued, deepened, and who in late Hinduism becomes an exceed-

He is bewildering in the range ingly important deity. variety of his many-hued nature.
4

and

'In Hindu writings no less than 1008 different names are given to him, and most of them indicate separate functions. Yet some attempt may be made to disentangle the confusion

by

Siva

pointing out that there are s^diiej^characteristics that a^smnfidjL _ inostj^jxtiiiiiifiEitljf.

I.

He personifies the forces of destruction and disintegration, destroys even the gods themselves and wears their skulls as his necklace." He delights in destruction for its own sake,

He

haunting burning grounds and places of death. All the terrors of a fierce consuming wrath are his, and constitute his normal
condition of
forth

enemies, hence the attribute }} " terrible A characteristic story (bhairava) given to him. " is told in the Mahabharata One day as Siva was seated
:

and

mind On the overwhelm his

slightest provocation

they break

on the Himalayas engaged in austerities, Uma, attended by her companions and dressed as an ascetic, came up behind and playfully put her hands over his eyes. Instantly the world became darkened, lifeless, destitute of oblations. The gloom, however, was dispelled by a great flame which burst from Siva's forehead, in which a third eye, luminous as the sun, was formed. By the fire of this eye the mountain was scorched and everything upon it consumed." This flame will one day, it is declared, devour the world.
2.

"He

personates the eternal reproductive power of

Nature

SIVA

AND PANCHANANA
In
all

169
this char-

perpetually recreating itself after disintegration. acter he is commonly known and worshipped

over India

under the symbol

of the

Linga stone."

The
its

Linga, or Greek Phallus, and Roman Priapus, with usual accompaniment, the Yoni, is the universal emblem

of Siva- worship.

That

this

has always been the case we do

not know, but

of

we know

as a fact that at the time of the raids

Ghazn! (eleventh century) there existed twelve shrines, one of which at Somnath he destroyed. Some have asserted that this worship is of nonAryan origin borrowed from the aboriginal tribes found in India, but to this it is replied that no trace of it is found in any existing non-Aryan people and that there is no proof of such a derivation. Hindus assert that there is nothing indecent meant or understood in this symbol, and its usual clumsy representation is considered free from suggestion of indecency, and it may be regarded as a type of Nature" The spiritualisation, exaltation, and even deifiworship. cation of natural desire, of the sexual instinct in fact, has
of

Mahmud

celebrated

linga

been in the East from the earliest times an object of certain sect founders, impressed no doubt and fascinated by the mystery of generation. And so it has come about that this
mystery, which the West has regarded with the greatest suspicion and dread, has been invested by the subtle mysticism of the Orient with the sanctifying garment of religion." 1

There exists a Saivite sect, the Lingayats (or Lingaits) founded in twelfth century by Basava, a native of the Deccan who in theory reject caste 2 and Brahmanical authority and all idolatry except the worship of the linga, a model of which, usually in a silver box, they bind to their arms or tie to their
necks. 3

Oman, Mystics, Ascetics, and Saints of India, p. no. " In tlie 1901 Census the Lingayats asked to be recorded as Lmgayat Brahmans, Lmgayat Vaisyas, Lingayat &udras, thus claiming the very caste distinctions which their founder had repudiated." Holderness, People and Problems of India, p. 103. 3 The Census Reports of the Mysore State give reliable information about this sect which has spread through South India and is more
1

170

THE GODS OF INDIA

how
the Linga

Several legends explain

came

to be the

that it was representative of Siva. The Padma Parana says the result of a curse pronounced by Bhrigu. When Bhrigu

" Since time, Bhrigu's patience being exhausted, he said thou, Sankara, hast treated me with contempt in preferring the embraces of Parvati, your forms of worship shall be the
*

was sent by the Rishis to discover which of the three gods was the greatest, he came to Siva's abode Wishing at once to enter, he was prevented by a doorkeeper, who informed him that as his master was with Devi his wife, it was imAfter waiting for some possible tor him to enter at present.

Linga and
l

Yom
is

J5

He

ike typical great ascdic

sits

and self-momfier (Yogi).

In this character he

naked, motionless, with ash-besmeared

body, matted hair, and beggar's bowl under a banyan-tree. By so doing he teaches mankind by his example to mortify the body and suppress passion so that the loftiest spiritual

knowledge and union with himself

may

be attained/'

He

himself attained the highest perfection in meditation and In the Vamana Purana we read that when self-mortification

Siva was enwrapped in meditation, Parvati, oppressed by the " Isha, the heat great heat, remonstrated with him increases in violence. Hast thou no house to which we might
:

repair

and there
"
?

abide, protected from the wind, the heat,

4f

the cold

Sankara
shelter,

(Siva) replied

am,

lovely one, without a

Having thus spoken they remained during the entire hot season under the trees, and when it was passed, the rainy season with its dark clouds
prominent in the Mysore. It appears irom Abbe Dubois' testimony that the use of arrack, or native liquor, is prohibited among them under penalty of exclusion from their caste or sect, but they supply its place by using opium and other drugs They keep Monday in every week as a day of rest for their cattle and pay special homage to the Sacred Bull, as Basava is said by his followers to be an inespecially

a constant wanderer in forests."

carnation oi Xandi, Siva's bull A noteworthy custom of this sect is " its abstinence from whatever has had the principle of life," and its
practice oi interring its dead in place of burning them.

AND PANCHANANA
succeeded, and still Siva remained to the heavy showers.

171
indifferent

immovable and

Another legend relates the god of Love (Kama), turb his devotions.
4.

how he burnt up in a blaze of wrath when that deity attempted to dis-

a philosopher and learned sage. In this character represented as a Brahman wearing the Brahmanical thread, and as being skilled in the knowledge of the Vedas.

As

he

is

He

is represented as seated on Mount Kailasa discussing with Parvati the most abstruse problems of philosophy. It is

remarkable to note in this connection that he has a peculiar hold upon the higher classes of the Hindu community. In
fact an ancient version of Manu is often quoted Siva is the god of the Brahmans, Krishna (Vishnu) of the Kshatriyas, Brahma of the Vaisyas, and Ganesha of the Sudras."/
:

"

5.

Siva

is

also
is

exactly the
jovial,

opposite of the two preceding

characters.

He

a wild,

and jollity The worshippers of Siva in this character generally belong to those who worship the Sakti or female energy of the gods, and are given to self-indulgence and sensual pleato dancing
briated.

wine-drinking hunter addicted fond of good living and often ine-

sures

This
3

is
*

in

many

respects the

most degraded form

"

of

Hinduism.
6.

'

When he offended Lord of Demons. Daksha by not rising to salute him on his entrance into the audience-chamber of the gods, Daksha grew angry and
iva
is also the

complained
'

He roams about in dreadful cemeteries, attended by spirits, like a madman with dishevelled hair. ... He is
Bhutas
(spirits),

ghosts and the lord of

beings whose nature

is

essentially darkness.'

It is over the countless hosts of spirits

and demons that

iva

sovereignty. These are primarily subject to his but the actual command over them is delegated authority " 2 to his sons Ganesha, Skanda (Kartikeya), and Ayenar
exercises
;

Homer

Williams, Rehgious Thought and Life in India, pp. 80-5.

Arsenal, p. 259.

172

GODS OF INDIA

Millions of the peoples of South India are devoted to Siva-worship, and in the North, his shrines and temples are

numberless.

His great centre

is

Benares, the most sacred

Sacred because it is said to be placed on city of Hinduism. the prong of his trident. It is the chief of the seven most
holy
die,
cities of India, in

any one

of which,

no matter how

sinful his past life

if a man chances to may have been, he will

instantly attain salvation.

The

other six

cities

are Muttra

and Dwarka

in Gujerat (both sacred to Krishna),

Buddh-Gaya

(to Buddha), Ajodhya to Rama, Puri to Jagannath, and Ujjam. The following story shows the sanctity of Benares

and explains the reason why it is regarded as the seat of Siva "On one occasion Brahma and Siva quarrelled about their respective positions in the Hindu hierarchy. As Brahma continued to declare that he was supreme, Siva to show his power cut off Brahma's fifth head, and thus was guilty of a most heinous crime. This was instantly seen, for the head of Brahma adhered to Siva's hand and could not be shaken off. He tried every austerity and device to get rid of it and made many pilgrimages, but all was in vain until he came to Benares and there the head instantly fell off his
:

hand."

The writer has often seen Siva-worship as it is practised in the temples at Benares and in similar shrines scattered over North India. It has little in it to attract the reverent
mind.
First of all the popular representation of Siva, the
is

linga stone,

a rude primitive emblem.

of worship itself offers nothing to excite devotional interest or to arouse the imagination. A brief description will make this clear. A Hindu temple is divided

Then the course

into two parts the vestibule and the shrine itself, and these are often surrounded with courts. The temple courts are
large,

but the central shrine

is

generally small.

The wor-

shipper begins by circumambulating the temple court as many times as he pleases, always remembering to keep his
1

Some

lists
first

omit

Pun and Buddh-gaya and

the Ganges

enters the plains,

insert Hardwar, where and Conjevaram near Madras

SlVA

AND PANCHANANA

173

He then enters the vestibule right hand towards the shrine. or porch of the innermost shrine where the image is kept,
and
into which only the priest (p?7jari) is allowed to go. Generally there is suspended from the roof of the vestibule a bell which the worshipper strikes in order to arouse the attention of the god. The priest often blows a conch shell

kept for the same purpose. The worshipper then advances to the threshold of the shrine and presents his offering to the idol within (it may be a few faded flowers, some Bilva (Bel)

an offering of grain or food stuffs, or water to cool and refresh the hot and excited god). This done he mutters a short prayer begging the god's of his
leaves,

acceptance

worship,

accompanied with the act

simply that of The worship now is over lifting the hand to the forehead and the man departs. It is to be noted that throughout the whole there is nothing like a religious service, no moral instruction
is

of prostration, or

The quick

All is done rapidly and often mechanically. given. succession of worshippers, the pouring out of water,

the scattering of leaves or flowers, the muttering of "a hurried prayer all this fails to favourably impress the Occidental
observer.

Domestic worship

is

also offered to him.

First of all the

place where the worshipper sits is purified by reciting a mantra to the Earth (Prithivl). The worshipper then makes

the form of a linga. an extemporised clay image of Siva He performs certain rites while making it, and after washing it, with salutation he performs the ceremony of animation, by which he believes that its nature is changed from that of the

mere materials of which it is formed, and that it not only acquires life but supernatural power. Whenever a Hindu " rite of animapurchases an idol from the market the same }> is consecrated. The and the idol is undertaken, tion linga being made and consecrated is solemnly placed on an untorn Bilva leaf, and the same puja or worship is offered
to
as already described in the public worship. more elaborate and complex type of 3iva-worship described by Dr. Rajendralala Mitra, This is an account
it

A much

is

174

THE GODS OF INDIA

(twenty- two In number)
:

of the ceremonies

offered to the

linga in a great Salvite temple in Orissa

"(i) At the
first

appeaiance of dawn
;

bells are

rung to rouse the

deity fiom his slumbers (2) a lamp with many wicks is waved in fiont of the stone (3) the god's teeth are cleaned by pouring water
;

and nibbing a stick about a foot long on the stone (4) the deity is washed and bathed by emptying se\eial pitcheis of water on the stone (5) the god is dressed by putting clothes on the stone (6) the fust bieakfast is offered, consisting of gram, sweetmeats, curds, and cocoanuts (7) the god has his principal breakfast, when cakes and moie substantial viands are seived (8) a kind of little lunch is
;

oiteied

(9)

the

god has a legular lunch

(10) the

midday dinner

is

served, consisting of cuny, rice, &c., while a priest waves a manyflamed lamp and burns incense before the stone; (n) strains of

noisy discordant music arouse him from his afternoon sleep at 4 P.M (12) sweetmeats are offered (13) the afternoon bath is administered
;

dressed as in the morning; (15) tiffin is served; is administered 5(17) the full-dress ceremony takes place; (18) another offering- of food follows; (19) after an hour's interval the regular supper is seived (20) five masks and a damaru (drum) used in dancing are brought in and oblations made to them (21) wa\mg of lights before bedtime; (22) a bedstead is brought into

(14) the

god

is

(16) another bath

the sanctuary,

and the god composed

to sleep.

33 1

This

is

a daily series of ceremonies.

Can anything more

puerile or

more wearisome be imagined

is

held about the middle or the end observed during the day and a vigil A pnest reads in the temple a list of his names, and as each is mentioned the worshipper throws a leaf of the Bilva (Bel) tree on the linga in order to secure heaven. The origin of the sacredness of this festival is
of February. kept at night.

Siva's great festival

fast is

related in the Skanda Purana In Jambu Dwipa, on the Himalayan Mountains, there lived a hunter One day while hunting he was overtaken by nightfall As he was anxious not to become a prey to the wild beasts he climbed a tree. Tormented by cold and hunger he passed a miserable
:

"

in strict wakefulness.
1

The

night night happened to be Siva-ratri

Dr. Murdoch, Siva Bhakh, pp. 19-20.

SIVA

AND PANCHANANA

175

night, and at the foot of the tree, which fortunately was a Bilva, the leaves of which are sacred to Siva, was a linga. His

and the shaking

linga.

discomforts obliged him to change his position frequently, of the tree caused some leaves to fall on the

When

This involuntary worship pleased Siva exceedingly. a few days after the hunter died Siva put Yama to flight after a violent quarrel and carried off the hunter to his heaven. When Yama complained to Nandi (Diva's
' :

treatment Nandi replied This man has been a great sinner who has not scrupled to shed blood but before he died he fasted, watched, and offered Bilva leaves to the " I This action has cleansed him from his sins. linga.
vehicle) of his
;
3

Siva, in his efforts to get rid of the dissevered head of Brahma, adopted the ascetic life and wandered about for many

years from holy place to holy place and shrine to shrine. In virtue of this he is to-day the patron god of the vast number
of religious mendicants, Sadhus, Sannyasis, Yogis, India's holy men, who practise great austerities and resort to all kinds of self-torture to gain his favour. Wandering through

the country are

subsist

many

Sannyasis or pilgrims, devotees,

who

on charity, expose themselves equally to heat and cold and to many discomforts in hope of future reward. Some of these are naked, others inflict on themselves such tortures as the following. Retaining their limbs in one position for years until it is impossible to move them. Gazing on the sun
until blindness ensues.

the flesh of the palm of the hand

through they appear on the outside. Swinging on bamboos, having hooks forced between the muscles of the shoulder these are some of the cruel
till

Growing

their finger nails

2 practices in which Siva is supposed to delight. Another characteristic of his worship is representative of

his character of

master of

"

revelries,

lord of

mad

frantic

of an elephant, folly, who, clad in the blood-stained skin " condances the wild tandava dance." 3 Dancing girls are
1

Arsenal, p. 411 See also p. 240. Barth, Rehgwns of India, p. 164.

176
secrated
"
to

GODS OF INDIA
Ms
service.

Dubols says Throughout South India Saivite temples are often the abode of troupes of dancing
:

"

girls

who are kept to delight the god's hours of leisure, and gratify the profligacy of those who come to worship him. Next to the priests they are the most important persons
about the temples, as they are connected with the management of most temple affairs and the performance of cereThese girls are called devadasis? or 'servants/ or slaves of the god.' They are bred to an immoral life from infancy, and often their mothers and fathers, in fulfilment
monies.
'
f

of a

vow

to devote their child to the service of the god, think

life of infamy." being made by the Hindus themselves against the continuance of this custom. The Mysore Government has pronounced against the em-

they honour the god by devoting her to a

It is gratifying to record that efforts are

ployment of temple
all

girls,

and in the case

of official enter-

over India public protest is often made against tainments, the Nautch, and there is a sensible diminution of the practice amongst the educated classes. " Each god is represented as having special fondness for some bird or animal, on which he is supposed to travel, and
is

which therefore is called his valian or vehicle. The bull Siva's and the image of his favourite bull, Nandi, is seen in most of his temples and in front of many of his shrines. Owing probably to this circumstance a curious custom pre;

vails,

similar in

many

the scapegoat by
of Siva,
if

Israelites.

respects to the setting loose of the At the death of a worshipper

it,

bullock loose and allow

his friends are pious and can afford it to wander at will.

they set a
the Hindus

By

generally it is considered a meritorious act to feed these sacred bulls, and a sin to injure them. In country places many of them are seen, and they become a great nuisance to the cultivators into whose fields they wander for as they
,

have no owner compensation cannot be obtained. If a man were specially devout, or his friends eminently pious, as many
1 This was m 1909 the first official action taken by any Indian Government to deal with this disgraceful practice.

PANCHANANA
To Ins
left

(the five-headed

form

of Siva)

tuple form

Below tho

Uma, his Sakti, and to his right aie seen rhe Trimurti or Kee p 82) and Ganesha, recognisable by his elephant trunk Mop-* are found Nandi, Svva's bull, and the tiger sacred to Durgra 'Ihe Ganges spimgs from his hair
sits

SAKTIS,

OR FEMALE ENERGIES OF THE GODS

In this photo are seen the g-oddesses Kali, Lakshmi, Slta, SaiaHvnti, and other consorts of the various ffods Ougmally there were ten representations, but one has been omitted, as ic was too indecent to publiah

AND PANCHANANA
as seven bulls are set loose at his decease.

177

to be this

as Siva
l

receive into his

The idea seems was delighted with Nandi, he will graciously presence those on whose behalf these bullocks
is

were given."

The
u

following

full

description of Siva

In the first place he has sometimes five faces (see Panchanana), sometimes only one, but always three eyes these are said to denote his insight into the past, present, and future. The third eye is in the middle of the forehead, and a moon's crescent above it marks the measuring of time by months according to the phases of the moon, while a serpent round his neck denotes the endless cycle of recurring
;

yeais, while a necklace of skulls symbolises the successive dissolution

and legeneration of the races of mankind. His body is generally covered with ashes said to be the remains of gods he destroyed. His hair is thickly matted together and gathered above his forehead

On the top of it he bears the into a coil, so as to project like a horn. personified liver Ganges, the rush of which he intercepted in its descent from Vishnu's feet. His throat is blue from the stain of the
deadly poison which would have destroyed the world had not Siva in compassion undertaken to chink it up on its production at the churnHe rides a white bull, Nandi, images of which are ing of the ocean. always found outside his temples. He sits on the skin of a tiger alleged to have been killed by him when the Rishis tried to destroy

As iva is constantly engaged in battle he is armed it. with a weapon suitable to his needs. He carries a three-pronged trident, thought by some to denote that he combines in his person the three attributes of Creator, Destroyer, and Regenerator. In the opposite hand he holds a kind of rattle or drum, shaped like an
him by
hour-glass, called
to

damaru, which he uses as a musical instrument A begging-bowl at his side typifies keep time while dancing.
the ascetic."
a

another side to his character

PANCHANANA
This
is

THE GOD OF FIVE FACES

five faces,

a form of Siva which represents the god as having and each face with three eyes; the customary necklet of snakes and the naked ascetic's body being added. This deity is largely worshipped, particularly by ignorant
1

Wilkins,

Hindu Mythology,

p. 277.

Murdoch,

$wa

Bhakti.

178
villagers.

GODS OF INDIA

Usually a stone is placed under certain trees and Sometimes painted red at the top and anointed with oil.

several stones are so placed and offerings of flowers, fruits, water, sweetmeats are made to them. There is a more than considerable element of demonolatry
in the worship paid to this god. Hindu women are terrified with it, and in time of sickness, although not ordinarily worshippers of Siva, render the most abject worship. Chiluntil
fits of epilepsy are supposed to be seized by this god they foam at the mouth, &c. The mother asks the evil "I am spirit his name, who answers through the child Panchanana your child has cast dust on my image, kicked it, and is the ringleader of the village children in this wickedI will certainly take away his life." ness. The priestess is then called, who comforts the weeping family and addresses " the god thus O Panchanana, I pray thee restore this child. If thou restore this child the parents will sacrifice a

dren in

goat to thee and present to thee many other offerings." If this fails to make the god propitious they take the child
to the image, before which they sit down and offer the most excessive flattery to the god, causing the child to beat its head on the ground. After using every contrivance they

and at the close of the fit, believing that Panchanana has cured the child, they present to him offerings according
retire,

to their ability. 1 Some shrines of this god in Bengal have acquired considerable celebrity, and women of the lower orders resort to

them

to obtain the gift of children

2

and other
p. 144.

blessings.

Ward, Hindoos,

CHAPTER XII
SIVA'S
"

CONSORT, OR SAKTI
thou hast deign'd to shield

Durga

Man's feeble virtue with celestial might, Gliding from yon jasper field
,

And, on a lion borne, hast brav'd the fight For when the Demon Vice thy realms defy'd, And aimed with death each arched horn,
:

Thy

golden lance,

Touch'd but the pest

mountain -born, goddess 3) he roar'd and died

S
!

Sir

WM

JONES,

Hymn

to

Durgfi

THE worship

of the Saktis, or female energies or counterparts

of the gods, forms a religion

doctrines, its special

by

itself.

It

has
its

its

special

forms

of initiation,

and

own

peculiar

devotees.

The

roots of this worship are hid far

ideas, as old as India itself, of a sexual dualism.

away in The bright

spreading
fertile

Heavens have as their counterpart the broad Earth, and each succeeding god has his own energy,
virile,

the god loftily quiescent, the goddess active and embodiment of rude energy.
It is in

the

Saivism that these ideas have found a

soil

most

favourable for their growth.

in Lakshmi, his worship

Whilst Vishnu has his Sakti

their

and influence have retained

supremacy, but over half of the adherents to Siva have largely transferred their allegiance to the cult of his female counterThis great goddess (often called Devi or Mahadevi) has a thousand names and a thousand forms, She is not
part.

merely Siva's counterpart, but she intensifies the attributes " As a destructress she is of the dread lord of destruction.
Kali
;

as a reproducer she
of

is

type

beauty in

Urn a; as the mother

179

as a symbolised by the Yoni of the Universe in

;

Jagan-Matri;

as a

malignant being, delighting in blood,

180

THE GODS OF INDIA

;

Durga

as

a mountaineer,
list

Parvati, 1

This

by no means
her, each

exhausts the

of

names commonly applied to

She

name having some

special significance. Gauri, Tara, Bhavanl, and many others.

is Sati,

Ambika,

is a clear division line in these various can distinguish between the "white" " " or mild, benevolent nature, and the or fierce, cruel black nature. Our purpose will be amply served if we concern ourselves solely with Uma and Parvati, representatives of is }} the milder nature, and Durga and Kali, deities of the

Fortunately there

manifestations.

We

fiercer type.

It is

by these

four

names that she is

best

known.

Uma

(meaning Light), Daksha's daughter, is distinguished for her severe austerity, her charity, knowledge, and beauty.

As Parvati she is beautiful, gentle, faithful, and full of womanly But alas when she appears as Durga and Kali qualities.
!

she exhibits a very different spirit. Nothing is sadder in Hinduism than the transformation of the gentle and Parvati into the cruel, bloodthirsty Durga and Kali. The

Uma

goddess, as represented in Durga, has still the calm features and golden colours of Parvati, combined with the fiercer, untamable characteristics of Kali but Kali is wholly given
,

over to cruelty and blood.

victims.

She drinks the blood

of her

She

lives in

an orgy of horror.
I.

UMA

was at

Daksha, son of Brahma, and one of the Divine Rishis, first very unwilling to give his daughter Uma in mar-

riage to the

wandering mendicant, Siva, but his scruples were overcome by the persuasion of Brahma, and Uma be-

came
first

of

Siva's wife. Daksha, however, never overcame his repugnance of the unclean habits and ash-smeared form his son-in-law. This led to the great tragedy of Urna's

life

and made her the earliest example of Sati or self-immo" She is frequently called Sati, which means the true or virtuous woman." The name is given to widows
lation.
1

Monier "Williams, Hinduism, p. 95.

SIVA'S CONSORT,
who ascend

OR ^AKTI

181
1

the funeral pyre and undergo a ternble death

voluntarily so that In death they shall not be separated from their husbands Daksha refused to invite Siva to the

great sacrifice he was

this reproach cast

making

to the gods,

and because

of

on her husband

Uma

voluntarily entered

the

lire.

II.

PARVATI

Siva was inconsolable on hearing of Parvati' s death, and fainted from grief, and like a man lost to sense he wandered forth as an ascetic seeking her everywhere One day in his agony he fainted under a banyaa-feree. The gods hastened
to his aid.
his
<c

bosom and wept aloud

Siva
!

Vishnu placed the head of the senseless Siva on he spoke to him words of cheer
;
:

recover thy senses and listen to what I say. Thou wilt certainly recover Sati (Uma), since thou art as inseparable from her as cold from water, heat from fire, smell from earth,
or radiance from the Sun."

Uma

then appeared before him

:

as Parvati seated in a gem-adorned car, accompanied by various attendants and arrayed in costly garments, and said " In whatever stale Mahadeva lord of my soul Be firm,
!
!

and now I I exist I shall never be separated from my lord have been born as Parvati the daughter of Himavat (Himatherefore no longer layas) in order to become again thy wife Then she departed 2 grieve on account of our separation." Whilst still a girl in her mountain home Parvati heard a " Perform a severe course of voice from heaven saying to regain Siva for thy husband, as he austerity, in order " But Parvati, proud of her cannot be otherwise obtained
;
;
:

1 When tins rite was suppressed by the British the Brahman priesthood resisted to the uttermost and appealed to the Vedas as sanctioning the ordinance. The leading Sanskrit scholar of the day, Professor H. Wilson, proved that the priests had actually falsified the text of their sacred Veda in support of tins horrible rite. It has not the sanction of antiquity and was unknown in Vedic days. For further reference to Sati, see p 247 ff.

Kennedy, Hindu Mythology,

p. 331.

182

THE GODS OF INDIA

youth and In the full lustre of her beauty, was confident that he would come to her without self-denial on her part. Her Siva was by that time hopes, however, were disappointed.
confirmed in the practices of his ascetic life. Finally she performed the required austerities and with the aid of Kamadeva (the Indian Cupid), who wounded him with his
1 arrows, she was united to her husband. Parvat! and Siva are usually represented as living in was the their mountain home, Kailasa felicity

^She Ganesha and Kartikeya, and was Siva's constant companion and faithful wife. Grieved often at Ins immoralities, she never deserted him except on one occasion when he reproached her for the blackness of her skin. This*
mother
of

so incensed her that she retired into the depths of the forest and performed a severe course of austerities until Brahma

granted her as a boon that her countenance should be golden. From this circumstance she is known as Gauri (the Golden
3

One). Parvat!
beautiiul

is

woman with no superfluity of limbs.

is

a beneficent goddess, represented as a fair and Few miraculous

fierce

deeds are ascribed to her, but her influence on the

evil-minded Siva
of

and

always for the good. Very different is " " black manishe in character from Durga, Kali, &c the
,

Hence the supposition that the goddess 3 very early times they were distinct deities.
festation

in

III.

DURGA
different

Siva's consort

now assumes a very

character.
replete

As

Uma

and Parvat! she acts as an ordinary

woman

with womanly virtues. As Durga she is a powerful warrior who overcame the formidable giant of that name. She is
still represented as a golden-faced woman of beautiful counIn one hand she is holding a tenance, but she has ten arms
1

Wilkms, Hindu Mythology, pp. 292-3.

Muir, O.S.T., iv. pp. 403-6.

Wilkms, Hindu Mythology,

p. 296.

SIVA'S CONSORT,
spear, with

OR SAKTI

188

which she impales the giant, and her other hands are filled with various weapons. Her lion leans against her left leg, and the her right. lies himself under giant

The Skanda Purana 1 gives an account of the slaying of " Kartigiant Durga, whose name means difficult of access." keya was once asked by a sage why his mother Parvati was called Durga. His reply was the following "A giant named Durga having performed great penances and austerities in honour of Brahma, obtained his blessing, and grew so mighty
:

that he conquered the three worlds, dethroned the gods, whom he sent from heaven to live in the forests at his nod
;

they came and worshipped him. He abolished all religious ceremonies. The Brahmans, through fear of him, forsook the reading of the Vedas, rivers changed their courses, fire
lost its energy,

and the
' ;

terrified stars retired

"

The gods

at length applied to Siva

'

dethroned

me

Surya
all

said,

He

from sight. Indra said, He has has taken my kingdom

'
'

and one by one

pitying them, asked Parvati to go

the gods related their misfortunes. Siva, and destroy the giant. She

gods,

accepted the commission willingly, calmed the fears of the and first sent Kalaratri (Dark Night) a female of great beauty, to command Durga to restore things to their ancient
,

He, full of fury, sent soldiers to seize her, but by the breath of her mouth she reduced them to ashes Durga form and size then sent 30,000 other giants, such monsters
order.

that they covered the face of the earth. At the sight of these giants Kalaratri fled to Parvati, followed by the giants.

Durga then with 100,000,000 chariots, 120,000,000 elephants, 10,000,000 swift horses, and innumerable horsemen went to As soon as the fight Parvati on the Vindhya Mountains. giant drew near, Parvati assumed 1000 arms, called to her
assistance a great array of beings of different kinds (a list covering half a page is given in the Purana}, filled her handb

with weapons, and sat on the Vindhya Mountain waiting his The troops of giants poured their arrows upon her like drops of rain in the storm. They even tore up the
arrival.
1

Ward, Hindoos,

p. 64.

184
trees

THE GODS OF INDIA

and mountains, and hurled them at the goddess, who, however, threw a weapon, which carried away many of the arms of Durga. He, in return, hurled a flaming dart at the Another was resisted by goddess, which she turned aside. the discharge of a hundred arrows. He next let fly an arrow

At last at Parvatf s breast, but this she saved herself from. Parvati seized Durga, and set her left foot on his breast.
.
. .

seized him with her She pierced him with her trident thousand arms, and earned him into the air, whence she threw
.
.

him down with

terrific

force.

This, however, did not kill

him, so she pierced his breast with an arrow, when blood issued in streams from his mouth, and he expired. The gods were delighted, and regained their former splendour, and gave her, in gratitude for the deliverance, the name of
Durga."

The great festival called the Durga Puja is celebrated yearly throughout Northern India in honour of this goddess. It is the most popular of all the Hindu festivals, and is
considered the great holiday of the year. For three days all business is laid aside, and people living at a distance go home to celebrate it. Sacrifices of buffaloes and goats are

and immense sums are spent by wealthy persons Brahmans are entertained and sumptuously fed. Dancing girls, richly dressed, and covered with jewels, The songs are grossly insing and dance before the idol. decent, and the dances more so. An English spectator says li The whole scene produced on my mind sensations of the
to her,

made
on

this occasion.

The dress of the singers their indecent gestures the abominable nature of the songs the horrid din of the drums the lateness of the hour the darkness of
greatest horror.

the place with the reflection that I was standing in a heathen temple, and that this immense multitude of rational and immortal beings were, in the act of worship, perpetrating a crime of high treason against the God of heaven, while

they themselves believed they were performing an act of excited ideas and feelings in my mind which can never be obliterated."
merit

DIVA'S CONSORT,

OR ^AKTI
first
;

185
four nights
fifth is for
,

This festival lasts for fifteen days. The are allotted to the decoration of the goddess
;

the

the preparation of her dress on the sixth she is awakened on the seventh she is invited to a bower formed of the leaves of nine trees and plants, of which the Bel (Bilva) tree, sacred to Siva, is the chief. The seventh, eighth, and ninth are the
great days, on the last of which the beasts sacrificed in her honour must be slain. The directions given in the Kalika

Purana are, The sacrificed beasts must be killed with one blow of a broad sword or sharp axe." The next day the
goddess
its shrine

"

reverently dismissed and her image returned to On the fifteenth day, that of the full moon, her devotees pass the night in merriment and revelry It is
is

unlucky to sleep, for on this night the fiend led his army against Durga, and on this night the goddess Lakshm! descended on earth, promising wealth to all who keep awake.

IV.
"

KALI

Hail, Kali, three-eyed goddess, of horrid form, around whose neck a string ol human skulls is pendant Salutation to thee with this " blood Mantva used in Kali-worship
!

The

"

black" manifestations

of Siva's consort culminate

in the portrayal of Kali, the horrible goddess of blood.

Human

invention or imagination, however depraved and brutalised, cannot equal elsewhere the terror of this conception of deity.

The Tantras
"

tell

us

terrible

liquors and oblations Kali, who has a gaping mouth, with eyes red as those of a drunkaid and uncombed hair who has four hands, and a splendid garland formed of the heads of the giants she has slain, and whose blood she has drunk

One should adore with

;

who holds

a sword in her lotus-like hands who is fearless, and awards blessings ; who is black as the large clouds who has a throat smeared with blood who wears earrings consisting of two dead bodies who who has terrible teeth and a carries two dead bodies in her hands
;

smiling face ; whose form is awful who dwells in burning grounds, and stands on the bieabt of her husband, Siva."
;

186

THE GODS OF INDIA

danced

She Alter her victory over the giant she began to dance. At till the earth shook and began to crumble away.

the request of the gods Siva asked her to stop, but owing to He then lay down her excitement <?he did not notice him her wild orgy feet. She continued at dead her the among
till

seeing
fices

she caught sight of her husband under her feet upon him she thrust out her tongue in dismay, and ceased.
;

There is no question that in days gone by, human sacriwere offered to Kali. In the great temple of Kahghat
(winch city
its

the central shrine of Hinduism in Calcutta

takes
i

very name from Kali)

leit of
it

there are

two stones to the

ight

and

and

goats, but

the main porch, red with the blood of sheep is well known that, before the prohibition
of human beings was In tracts of Central and Northern India

of the British

Government, the blood

the sacrifice offered.

the innocent traveller was often in former times waylaid by numerous bands of Thugs, who strangled and buried their

and became the scourge and terror of the land. The patron goddess of the Thugs, now finally suppressed, 1
victims,

was

In the Kalika Pur ana 2 nothing can be clearer Kali. than the instruction regarding human sacrifice

"The

flesh of the antelope

and the rhinoceros give

my

(Kali) delight for five

hundred

years.

By

human

sacrifice

beloved attended
.

laid down, she is pleased foi a thousand years ; and by the sacrifice of three men, a hundied thousand years. An oblation of blood, which has been rendered pure by holy texts, is equal to ambrosia ; the head and flesh also afford much delight.

by the forms

Let the sacrifice repeat the word Kali twice, and say, Hail, Devi, Let him then goddess of thunder hail, iron-sceptred goddess take the axe in his hand, and again invoke the same by the Kalaratri
' ;
!

text, as follows

i :

Let the sacrifice say } " Hrang, Hrang

!

'

Kali, Kali
;

horrid-toothed goddess

Eat, cut, destroy

all

the malignant

cut

Suppressed by the eftorts of General Sleeman and staff, acting under the orders ot Lord \Vilham Beatmck, Governor-General, in 1829 and following years. A special department ior the suppression of

Thuggee was instituted, so widespread was the 3 Moor, Hindu Pantheon, p. 144,

evil.

SIVA'S CONSORT,

OR gAKTI

187
!

with this axe ; bind, bind ; seize, seize ; drink blood. " ' Salutation to Kali secure, secure.
!

Spheng, spheng

Let princes, ministers of State, councillors, and vendors of make human sacrifices for the purpose of attainOn these occasions this is the mantra to ing prosperity and wealth, be used, Hail, three-eyed goddess, of most terrifying appearance,
spirituous liquors
'

"

around whose neck a

string of

human
' !

skulls

is

pendant,

who

art the
!

destroyer of evil spirits, who ait Salutation to thee with this blood

armed with an axe and a spear

"

An enemy may

also

be murdered by proxy

if

the wor-

shipper substitutes a goat or a buffalo and calls the sacrifice by the name of his enemy throughout the whole ceremony.

In this case the sacrincer says

'

" Eat, devour such an one, my enemy. goddess of hoi rid forms Consort of fire salutation to fire This is the enemy who has done me mischief, now personated by this animal destroy him, Kali "
'

Of the Karhada Brahmans of Bombay Sir J. Malcolm " wrote This tribe had formerly a horrid custom of annually The Sakti sacrificing to the Sakti (Kali) a young Brahman.
:

is

fiery eyes,

supposed to delight in human blood, and is represented with and covered with red flowers. The prayers of her votaries are directed to her during the first nine days of the Dasara festival, and on the evening of the tenth a grand repast is prepared, to which the whole family is invited.

An

victim,

intoxicating drug is mixed with the food of the intended who is often a stranger whom the master of the house

has for several months treated with the greatest kindness and attention, and sometimes, to lull suspicions, given him As soon as the poisonous and inhis daughter in. marriage.
toxicating drug operates, the master of the house, unattended, takes the devoted person to the temple, leads him three times round the idol, and on his prostrating himself before it takes

the opportunity of cutting his throat.

He

collects

with the

greatest care the blood in a small bowl, which he first applies to the lips of the ferocious goddess, and then sprinkles it over her body ; and a hole having been dug at the foot of the

188

THE GODS OF INDIA

idol for the corpse, he deposits it with great care to prevent After this the Karhada Brahman returns to his discovery.

family, and spends the night in mirth and revelry, convinced that .by] the bloodthirsty act he has propitiated the goddess for twelve years. 1

There seems reason to suspect that even at the present day sacrifices are occasionally performed secretly in the shrines of Kali or Durga Devi. There are numerous modern
instances in Nepal.

At Benares one recently occurred.

At

Lanji, near Nagpur, there are shrines of Kali at which human sacrifices to the goddess have been offered

Chanda and

almost within the

1

memory

of the present generation. 2

Malcolm, North Indian Notes and Queries, i. 112-148. In the dark past, human sacrifices were offered for many reasons, and in a variety of ways. Sleeman gives the following examples " The city of Sagar, the Central Provinces, occupies two sides of a very beautiful lake, formed by a wall which unites two sandstone hills on the north side. This wall was, according to tradition, built by a wealthy merchant of the Ban]ara caste. After he had finished it the bed of the lake still remained dry, and he was told in a dream, or by a priest, that it would continue so till he should consent to sacrifice his own daughter, then a gui, and the young lad to whom she was
2

accordingly built a to become the bed of the lake, put the two children in, and built up the doorway. He had no sooner done so than the whole of the valley became filled with water, and the old merchant, the priest, the masons, and spectators made their escape with difficulty From that time the water of the lake has been inexhaustible, but no living soul of the Banjara caste has ever since been known to drink its waters." Sleeman, vol. i 122.
little

affianced, to the tutelary god of the place. shrine in the centre of the valley, which

He

was

The Mahadeo sandstone hills overlook the Nerbudda to the south, and rise to between 4000 and 5000 feet above the level of the sea. In one of the highest parts a fair was formerly held for the enjoyment of those who assemble to witness the self-devotion of a few young men who offer themselves as a sacrifice to fulfil the vows of their mothers. When a woman is without children she makes votive offerings to all the gojds who she thinks can assist her, and promises still greater in case they should grant what she wants. Smaller promises being found of no avail, she at last her if a first-born, promises male, to the god of If she gets a son she conceals her vow from destruction, Mahadeo (6iva) him till he attains the age of manhood, and then solemnly enjoins him
.

"

p.

to

fulfil it.

H e believes it to be his paramount duty to obey his mother's

PJLRVAlI (XJM&) SIVA'S CONSORT,

the mild manifestation,

KALI, SIVA'S
'Hie points to
r

CONSORT

(fierce

manifestation)

be noted aie the necklace of human

belt,

e her when.

skull*

and the human hand-, suspended fiom her

while <he dances cm hei husband s

she killed him,

body

SIVA'S CONSORT,

OR

S~AKTI

189

He then puts on the call, and considers himself as devoted to the god. mendicant robes, visits all the celebrated temples dedicated to this god in different parts of India, and at the annual fair on the Mahadeo Hills throws himself from a perpendicular height of 400-500 feet, and is dashed to pieces upon the rocks below. This rite is called Bhrigupata (i.e. throwing oneself from a precipice)." Sleeman, vol. i. p. I25.
;;

CHAPTER

XIII

SONS OF SIVA AND PARVATl

I.
11

GANESHA, THE PROPITIOUS

And on
A\
itli

the middle porch god Ganesha,

and hook to bring wisdom and wealth, " Propitious sate, wreathing his sidelong trunk
disc

ARNOLD'S Light of Asia, p

59.

THE name
i.e.

is

derived from Gana-lsa, or

"

Lord

of the

Ganas,"
especi-

troops of inferior deities

and

evil spirits,

and more

ally those subordinate deities

who has

delegated the
this

who are in attendance on Siva, command of them to Ganesha. He is

South India he
is

known by
is

name

in the North, but in

worshipped as Pulliyar.

There

is little

the most widely worshipped of

is

all

doubt that this deity the Hindu gods. His

lintel

grotesque, unwieldy figure

found over the

of the

door of countless Hindu dwellings, English people wonder at so hideous a deity becoming so
explanation probably
success in
figure of
life.

may

well

popular.

The

is

that Ganesha

is

the embodiment' of

His form strongly resembles the familiar

the corpulent, well-fed bumya (banker or moneyseated at the receipt of custom, lender) supremely at his ease, with his legs folded under him. He is the beau-ideal of a
satiated appetite
in
life

to the

and of superb self-complacency. Hindu is synonymous with

Success

good-living, plen-

ease. Ganesha's image, smeared teousness, prosperity, with red ochre, monstrous, and corpulent, conveys this idea to the rustic mind. To the poor hard-worked villager he represents the height of successful achievement and the

and

reward of a

life-long struggle,

It is difficult to find occasions

190

which Ganesha

is

not called

SONS OF SIVA AND PARVATI

In to bless with his favour.
of all

191

He

Is

the god of good luck, and

fortunate enterprise, prudent and sagacious and full of policy. Hence his quaint image is found over the entrance

doorways of thousands of Hindu homes, and he presides over the undertakings of most Hindu shopkeepers. He is invoked by the Hindu at the outset of any business. If he build a
house, an image of Ganesha is previously propitiated and set up near the spot. Before money-lenders open their account

books of a morning, or travellers start on a new journey, they The average welfare, and invoke his aid. Hindu on entering a temple will first pour out water, scatter flowers, or offer a small oblation to Ganesha to obtain his
supplicate his
assistance, before
deity.

he proceeds to worship

his

own

special

Most especially is Ganesha invoked by authors in the writing of books. The reason for this is that the writing of a book
ib

considered to be a very serious and solemn undertaking, peculiarly liable to obstruction from spiteful and jealous
evil spirits
;

so the words,
of

"

at the beginning

every volume.

Salutation to Ganesha/' are found The following is the

:

preface to the
"
"

Prem
to the

Sagar, a famous book

Reverence

Holy Ganesa

Obstacle-cleavingj most famous, elephant-faced, resplendent, grant the boon that much advanced (by this book) may be pure

speech and intellectual delight."

Is it surprising to find that the chief failing of this portly Schoolboys, when they seek his aid divinity is gluttony ? at examination times, flatter him with presents of sweetmeats,

and by
is

him how much he can eat. At one time, it Siva was in trouble because one of the gods was offering great sacrifices, and undergoing great austerities to accomplish his destruction. He sought the aid of Ganesha,
telling

said,

but his wily enemy delayed Ganesha s arrival on the scene by throwing sweetmeats in his way, and Ganesha waited to pick these up and eat them, and so arrived too late to be of

any

assistance,

192

THE GODS OF INDIA

Notwithstanding all this, Ganesha has a distinguished ancestry. He is regarded as the elder son of Siva and Parvati, but she is said to have produced him from the scurf, or, some

At his birth all the gods came to say, excreta of her body. tender their congratulations, and were permitted to see the infant. Amongst the number was Sani (the planet Saturn),
surprise, kept his eyes fixed on the ground. Parvati was naturally annoyed at this, and demanded the He told her of a quarrel he had had that morning reason.

who, to everyone's

She was annoyed because he had disregarded excused himself, and said that he was so wrapped up in meditation on Vishnu that he had eyes for no one else. She thereupon solemnly cursed everyone on whom he should gaze that day. Parvati laughed at the He looked, and curse, and exhorted him to look at her son. instantly the child's head was severed: from his body. Taking the headless trunk in her arms, she cast herself, weeping, on the ground, but Vishnu, mounting Garuda, flew off to the banks of a river, where he found an elephant asleep. He cut off its head, and flying back with it restored Ganesha to life by crowning his dismembered trunk with this new appendage.
with his wife. her caresses

He

Parvati was very little appeased by the change of head, but Brahma, to soothe her, told her that Ganesha would be the

arriving inner apartment his entrance was opposed by Ganesha, as his father was asleep. The two came to blows, because Parasurama
insisted on urging his way in. Ganesha at first had the advantage, for he seized his antagonist with his trunk and gave him a twirl that left him sick and senseless. On his

worshipped of all the gods. There is one peculiarity about his elephant's head. It has only one complete tusk. The reason for this is also " given. Parasurama, who was a favourite disciple of Siva, went to Kailasa to visit his master. On at the
first

recovery Parasurama threw his axe at Ganesha, who, recognising it as his father's weapon &va having given it to
1

Like

many

other

Hindu myths,

this story is told

with

many

variations.

CrAMSHA

WORSHIPPING IMAGE OP GANFSHA

SONS OF
his

IVA

AND PARVATl

193

pupil

received
it
I

tusks,

which

it with all humility upon one of his immediately severed, and hence he has but

one tusk."

The following extract from the Ganapati 2 Upanishad will serve as a specimen of the way Ganesha is honoured and
worshipped by his followers. Imagine any educated, refined people, after gazing on his manifold beauties, addressing him
thus:
" Praise
art

to thee,

Ganesha
.
.

Thou art manifestly the Truth

.

thou

undoubtedly the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer, the Supreme We acknowledge thy divinity, O Being, the Eternal Spirit. Ekadanta (single-tusked one), and meditate on thy countenance ; He who continually medienlighten, therefore, our understanding. tates upon thy divine form, conceiving it to be with one tusk, four hands, bearing a rat on thy banner., of a red hue, with a large belly, anointed with red perfumes, arrayed in red garments, worshipped with offerings of red flowers, abounding in compassion, the cause of
this umverse imperishable, unproduced and unaffected by creation, becomes the most excellent of Yogis, i.e. religious devotees. Whoever meditates upon this figure will never be impeded by difficulties, will be liberated from the five great sins, and all the lesser ones, and will acquire riches, the objects of his desires, virtue, and final
;

beatitude."

Crooke says There can be little doubt that he is an importation from Indigenous mythoHis elephant head and the rat as his vehicle suggest logy. that his worship arose from the primitive animal cultus." The elephant's head is the symbol of wisdom and prudence, and the rat on which he rides is the type of perseverance. Both qualities are needed to ensure success.
to the origin of Ganesha,
:

As

"

the Ganapatyas,

exclusively worship him are called Ganapati is the name given to this deity in Western India. There is said to be at Chikur, near Poona, an hereditary living Ganesha. The story is briefly this, that the god, gratified at the devotion and piety of a

The

sect of those

who

as

Kennedy, Hindu Mythology, p 353. Ganapati is another name for Ganesha.

194

THE GODS OF INDIA

called

man

Muraba, rewarded him by incarnating himself in

his person, and covenanted that the divinity should descend i$. His. children to "the -seventh generation, and empowering
its

incumbent to work miracles and

foretell future events.

Six out of seven of the inheritors of this covenant have already died, and the Brahmans say that the Avataras (Incarnations)
will

end with the

renewal

made by
II.

life of the last Ganesha, unless there a further expression of the divine will.

is

KARTIKEYA, THE GOD OF

WAR

"

Lead us

as the martial Skanda led the conquering gods of old, Smite the foe as angry Indra smote the Danavs, fierce and bold." ROMESH DUTT, Epic of Ancient India,

Parvati,
is

now pass on to the younger son of Siva and " Skanda or Kartikeya the Hindu Mars," as Ganesha cf the Hindu Janus." He is the commander-in-chief of the
will
:

We

armies of the gods, which he often leads in battle against the " While Siva, the lord The Ramayana says hosts. of the gods, was performing austerities, the other deities went

demon

to

Brahma and asked

'

for a general in his place.

'

He/

said
'

thou didst formerly give as a leader of our they, armies is now performing great austerities, along with Umfi " The request was granted by the birth of Kartikeya The Siva Purana tells us that there was a demon king of
Tripura,

whom

by name

oppressive.

He

Tarika, who was exceedingly ambitious and forced Brahma by his austerities to grant

any boon he should demand.

interesting, as devotees in

list

of these austerities

is

to-day

practising many eleven mortifications, extending over a hundred years

1.

Benares and Ajodhya may be seen of them. Tarika went through

:

2.
3.

stood on one foot, holding the other, and both hands up towards heaven, with his eyes fixed on the sun. He stood on one great toe. He took only water as sustenance,

He

4.

He lived

on

air.

SONS OF ^IVA AND PARVATl

6.
7.

195

8.

9.

10.

n.

He was buried in earth, but continued in incessant He was buined in fire. He stood on his head. \/__ He hung on a tree by his hands. He bore the weight of his body on one hand. He hung on a tree head downwards.

devotion.

Such merit was irresistible, and Brahma granted his The boon asked was that he should be unrivalled in strength, and that no hand should slay him but that of a son of Siva. Tarika now became so arrogant that Indra was forced to yield him his white eight-headed horse, Kuvera his thousand sea-horses the Rishis were compelled to resign the cow Kamadhenu, that yielded everything that could be wished. The sun in dread gave no heat, and the moon in terror remained always at full the winds blew as he dictated
request.
;
; ;

and, in short, he usurped the entire universe l

management

of

the

At length Siva was persuaded to deliver the world from the thraldom of Tarika, and Kartikeya (Subramanya) was It is said that the six born on the banks of the Ganges
daughters (i e. Pleiades), coming to bathe, saw the boy, and each one was so enraptured with him that she sustained him from her own breast hence his six heads.
;

Another myth makes him the offspring of the union between Agni and Swaha (narrated on page 300), who took in turn the form of the wives of the Divine Rishis, with

whom

had become enamoured Yet another became six infants, whom Parvati embraced with such rapture that their bodies became one, though their six heads remained. In due course a conflict ensued between Kartikeya and Tarika, in which the demon was slain. Many further accounts
the god of
fire

describes that the sparks from Siva's eyes

are given of his prowess.

calling

It is related

how

in pursuit of his

he was once delayed on his journey by beautiful damsels, who entertained him by dance and song. Hence,
alas
!

it

is

the custom for some of the dancing girls

1

now

Moor,

^ndu

Pantheon, p. 51.

196
attached to

THE GODS OF INDIA

many
southern Hindu temples to be betrothed

and married to Kartikeya.

brother.

much worshipped as Ganesha, his elder In South India, where his cultus more generally prevails, he has ceased to be worshipped as a martial hero, but is worshipped under the name of Subramanya, which

He

is

not nearly so

means

very devotional or very favourable to Brahmans." His temples are frequented by those who hope through his intervention to be delivered from evil spirits, or else by

"

women who hope by

sons.

propitiating

him

to obtain

handsome

III.

AYENAR, A GUARDIAN DEITY

This god is the son of Siva and Vishnu. The Skanda " Purana (Stanza 48) says This Ayenar, the author of our prosperity, was born when the holy Siva, whose colour is that of the red sky, had intercourse with Vishnu under the form of Mohim." Mohini is represented as being a woman of surpassing beauty. The combination of the two deities is represented by the image of Hari-Hara, where one half represents a female form, and the other Siva, surmounted by half a head-dress twisted into a matted coil, with the lunar crescent conspicuous on it. " Like Ganesha and Skanda, the popular deity Ayenar (worshipped exclusively in South India) is a lord and leader of the demon host, and his province is to guard the fields, crops, and herds of the peasantry, who are ever on the watch to inflict disease, blight, and other calamities. Accordingly, outside many villages in Southern India, and generally among a group of trees to the west of the village, may be seen the
:

shrines of Ayenar,
figures of horses

surrounded by rude clay or terra-cotta and other animals- often life-size on which

supposed to ride when keeping guard. This is his disunlike Ganesha, he is never asked for any positive good, he protects from harm, and his worship is solely proHis image is that of a human form, pitiatory. painted a
is

he

tinction

SONS OP
reddish colour and

&VA AND PARVATl

He
rides

197

roughly carved,

on horseback,

and with him are

generally
driving
sit

his

two wives (Purani and Pudkala), who

of him,

on each side

and take an active part

It is

in

away the demons

villager in
If

at

night,

on

this account

that no
at

Southern India

likes to

be out

in the fields
his wives

night,

he should cross the path

careering
spirit

of

Ayenar and
he

when they

are

about the
killed,

fields,

is liable

to be

taken for an

evil

and

"After
piece
of

to commemorate any recovery from sickness, or

villagers place

good fortune, the

fresh

clay

horses
is

round the shrine of Ayenar as thank-offerings,

to be

He

also

propitiated

by

offerings

of the blood of swine, goats,

cooked food, sheep, cocks, &c,,

If

and

libations of strong liquor,

villagers

cholera or

pestilence

of
1

the any kind breaks out

redouble their

offerings."

In so

many

characteristics

is

Ayenar a typical

village

described under that godling that he really should have been

heading,

He

in view of his merits, however, a higher place

adulterous but distinguished ancestry,

He

forms, therefore,

a suitable link to the following section of the book,

1

Homer

Williams, Religious

Thousand

life

in

Mm,

p,

218,